Father, Mother, and four little babies
by littlebabyturtlelove
Summary: I'm just a street rat. I've seen a lot of stuff. However, in one day I had seen a man change into a giant Rat, attacked by four robot like guys in suits, and watched baby turtles become infants. Sure, okay, no problem. Only one thing has come up as an issue. While the Rat man was fleeing for the sewers, he forgot one of the turtles! I can't just leave him. WHAT DO I DO!
1. Four men, a Rat Man, and baby turtles

**Hey guys! Super excited with this story. Going to be my first TMNT fanfics on this site! Now, I have been writing fanfics for a little while, but this is the first story that I've ever actually considered posting. **

**This story is based off the new 2012-13 Nickelodeon version of TMNT. Which involves that Splinter used to be human, but was changed into a rat due to mutation, along with the four baby turtles that he had just got from a pet store. **

**This story is a dream I had a few weeks ago, and I thought I would try to make it into a fanfic :D **

-000-Prologue-000-

_I've seen weird things._

_Things I wish sometimes that I had never seen before. Countless moments in my life I wish I could just erase my existence, or go back and change my choices._

_On this faithful day however, my life changed, forever._

_Was everything that came out of it bad? No._

_I gained something very precious this day. Something that I would never in a million years regret, even if my world was turn upside down because of it._

_The day had started out as any normal one. A struggle to survive._

_I'm not a fan of stealing, but with the way I lived, it was the only option. I was a street rat. I had been since I was 13 and lost both of my parents._

_I admit that living in the streets of New York wasn't that bad. Plenty of food and other things got thrown away everyday, without a care in the world. It was the gangs and other crooks you had to look out for._

_The oh so wise, 18 year old, young adult, I was though, made me prepared for what they had in store. It wasn't all that hard to avoid them anyhow._

_You just had to stay close to the shadows, not get involved in their business and act calm if you so happened to pass them It was a piece of cake._

_Yeah, for a street rat, I was doing pretty okay. At the moment, I even had what you could call a 'home'. It was abandoned, no one ever went there, and it was quite._

_Sometimes a little too quite._

_I admit to feeling lonely sometimes with the life I live. Having not a friend in the world and no family since I was 13, who wouldn't be lonely?_

_Little did I know at the time, that all of that was going to change._

_All because of a man named Hamato Yoshi, and four little turtles._

-000-

Now I'm not proud of how it happened. I just stood there and watched, too baffled to lift a finger.

Hey, don't look at me like that. What would you do if you suddenly saw weird un-human like men with glowing eyes attacking another man holding four little turtles?

Oh wait a minute; I'm getting ahead of myself!

Hello there, my name is Arinna. I don't' really have a last name. Or, it's more like; I don't like my last name. So I don't use it.

I live in lovely New York City, mainly sleeping in trash bins, under bridges. The usual stuff homeless people do.

I was making my normal route I do to try and score some breakfast. You see, Mr. Jonet, the owner of Jonet Pizza by that old pet store always throws out his old Pizza from the night before. We've made this sort of deal though.

He keeps the pizza as fresh as he can for me, as long as I promise to be on the look out for any of the purple dragons in the area. It turns out Mr. Jonet had this old fight once with some of the members, and they swore to destroy his store for revenge.

I'm pretty good at going un-noticed, so when I see them coming, I give Mr. Jonet a warning and he handles the rest. Some nights are different then others. I heard once that he actually just pulled his gun out on one the Purple Dragons and scared them off. Not sure if it is true since he usually just calls the police if they get close.

Once he does, they go running.

Since that has started, the Police make a regular stop at his store to check things out, and score a few pieces of pizza from time to time.

I didn't really have anything planned that day, as usual, so I took my box of pizza, stuffed it in my bag, and walked around. Exploring is what you could call it I guess. Sometimes I feel that I could walk over all of New York and still find something new around the next corner.

It was just that big of a place! It had a lot of nice views too. As well as some odd ones.

Like a human man changing into a rat. That was definitely a new for me.

Oh sorry, you're probably confused about what I mean. You see, after I picked up my pizza and started walking around, I saw this man with a container walk out of the pet store by Mr. Jonet's Pizza place.

I wasn't really thinking much of it, other than how cute those four baby turtles were. I was just going to pass the man and keep going, when I saw this tall guy in a black suit bump into him.

The man with the turtles paused and watched the man, who hadn't even said excuse me (normal New York custom, just so you are aware).

I don't know what was going threw the turtles guys mind because he stopped walking, and started to follow the suit guy. Why would he do that? I don't know. Perhaps he wanted an apology of some sort.

I felt that wasn't the case though.

Now, through all my times I spent on the streets, I've learned two things.

Number one, nothing about this city is very fair. You have to make due with what you get.

And number two, you must learn to let things go and not get involved, unless you want yourself to wind up in the nearest hospital… or worst.

I had learned that lesson the hard way. Sure, I didn't always follow my two lessons and got involved in things I shouldn't, but there were sometimes even I knew when I should just back off. Like following a large man in a suit because he bumped into you.

That was something I could easily let go. This turtle man apparently could not.

Although I was walking in the same direction as the Turtle man/suit man, I felt hesitant. Perhaps I should turn around and try the other way?

The feeling in my heart though, told me to keep moving forward, follow both of the men, and see what would happen.

And when your heart tells you to do something, you should listen to it. So follow them I did.

I followed them for at least ten minutes, trying to make it seem as if I was just looking at the stores. Sticking right on their tail would do no good, so I trailed behind, barely keeping them in my view.

We turned down a few alleys, till we were no longer in the sight of the streets. In one of the alleys, the man in the black suit stopped, meeting up with a man who, I swear, looked his identical twin! All the way down to the black suit.

Anyway, the turtle man stopped right before entering the alleyway, barely looking around the corner to see what was happening within.

I stopped, only a bit away from them as well, hiding behind a trash bin. I wonder if it looked odd to some people who might see me.

I couldn't see much of what the well-dressed men were doing, but I gasped when the man with the turtles took a small step forward, accidentally stepping on a rat's tail.

The rat squeaked loudly, causing the man to lift his foot in surprise. In a panic the rat jumped forward, jumping onto the Turtles Man's foot before fleeing.

That wasn't the worse of turtle man's problems. It seemed the man Turtle Man had been following had heard him.

Turtle Man blinked in shock as the two suited men turned to him, their eyes glowing.

_"This place is not a place where you are allowed to be in this place_." The Turtle Man gasped as the two suited guys approached him. Looking over his shoulder for a way to escape, two more appeared, looming over him, blocking his only escape route.

I wasn't even sure where they had come from, but they were there. And did I mention they were talking really weird?

_"We have been seen in this place by you. So this is not a place that shall be left by you_."

The Turtle Man, looking panicked at first, closed his eyes as the four well dressed, almost stone like, men approached him.

Something inside him must have snapped for when one got close enough, Turtle Man lashed out, kicking him across the alley to smack against the wall.

A fight had broken out! I had to do something!

Just as the thoughts ran threw my mind, the man with the turtles reacted quickly.

He must have been some ninja master or something because the moves and fight stances he made were so quick, and so cool; it could be the only explanation. With only one hand, the other currently occupied by holding the container of turtles, the Ninja Turtle Man (Yes I keep changing his name, for I do not know is true name at this point) beat the four men easily.

Whirling around, the Ninja Turtle Man punched another of the suited men in the face, knocking the glowing green vile from it's grip. It flew into the air, crashing down and spraying its contents everywhere.

It had only barely touched the Ninja Turtle Man's skin before he began to scream. Whether from pain or shock, I wasn't sure.

Dropping the container he was holding, it fell to the ground, crashing into millions of pieces, the turtles flying about.

The Ninja Turtle Man gripped his head as his body twisted and turned in awful angles, his skin and face changing. I felt myself gasp at the sight.

He changed. Right before my eyes, this man had changed from a human, into a large rat.

His cloths ripped at the transformation, his mouth releasing a horrid bellow.

_I didn't know what to think. How to react! Should I scream? Run for help?_

Help.

If anyone needed that right now… it was the man- or, rat, right in front of me.

Now, if you thought that was bad, it got worst. The little turtles that the Ninja Turtle Man dropped, they too had touched that weird ooze. It seconds of touching their bodies, they began to morph, just as the Ninja Turtle Man had!

This transformation was different. Instead of changing into something else, the turtles began to grow. Those tiny little turtles, not more then a few inches long/tall, had grown into the size of infants!

This day just couldn't get weirder! Though as soon as I thought that, I knew it was just the beginning.

It also didn't help that I subconsciously took a step back, hitting the heel of my foot against a can.

Hearing the sound, the Ninja Turtle Rat Man (yes, another change of name) turned to me, his eyes wide with confusion… and fear. We stared at each other, neither of us sure how to react, or what to say.

Breaking eye contact, I looked to the ground, careful to avoid the strange ooze at all cost. I could only assume it was the ooze that had caused the man's transformation.

Below me, the small turtles that the man had been carrying had begun to stir.

_What in the world was happening?!_

"What… has happened to me?" I jumped when Ninja Turtle Rat Man spoke.

Looking up at him, and blinked rapidly, my words caught in my throat.

_How do you tell a guy that he turned into a Rat man in a calm and collected manner? _

I never got a change ever try to answer him when the four suited men rose to their feet surrounding both of us.

_So much for not getting involved, Arinna. _

"This place is not a place where you are allowed to be in this place. You have now become what you were not allowed to become for you were in this place, which is the place you are not allowed to be."

"Uh… what?" I frowned, looking at the four men wearily. Were these guys quadruplets or something, they all looked exactly the same!

As one began to reach for me, I ducked down, barely avoiding his grasps as the other three rushed for Ninja Turtle Rat Man.

The Rat man growled, knocking all of them down with a swing of his long tail.

_Well, he can adapt fast. _

"Whoa." I gasped as the sight. That was cool.

"Do not resist Kraang. Kraang who is me, must not be resisted by you, for I am Kraang." The man made another grab for me.

Ducking to the left, I blinked in confusion. "What? You're not making any sense weird… uh, Kraang Guy!" I exclaimed.

Jumping forward, the man, Kraang or whatever, grabbed my arm, yanking me back.

I winced at the tight, almost bone breaking grip. "Let me go!" I demanded, kicking at him. I yelped in pain when it felt my foot came in contact with not human flesh, but hard metal. Hoping on one foot, I looked at the Kraang guy in shock. "What… What are you?" I stammered.

_Should I scream for help? What would that help with? Sure it might scare the guys off or something, but what about Ninja Turtle Rat Man? Or uh… maybe I should just call him Rat man? _

_If the police saw him, he could be taken away and experimented on!_

Narrowing my eyes I reached forward, grabbing the man's arm with my own free one.

"Let. Go. Of. ME!" I screamed flipping him over my shoulder. When the Kraang guy hit the ground, his grip loosened enough for my to slip free.

Stepping back, I watched the man lift himself off the ground. As I backed up, I didn't realize that I had backed up right into the Rat man. Looking over his shoulder at me, we blinked at each other.

"…Hi?"

_Well, that was lame Arinna. Surrounded by four oddly strong, yet well-dressed men, with your only alley being a rat, and the best thing you say, is 'Hi'?_

"…Greetings." The rat man nodded back, turning back to the fight at hand.

We were prepared to fight our way out of this. I didn't know much of fighting besides the defensive basics, but I could at least back Rat Man up.

We were lucky that the fight didn't continue far after that.

The battle had stopped when behind me; sirens could be heard from the streets. I wasn't sure if the sirens were heading towards us or not, but it seemed enough to make our enemies pause.

The four quadruplets look at each other, one speaking up, "The Kraang, which is we can not be seen by them, which are approaching, who will see Kraang, who is here."

I could just feel the English language crashing down before me.

Without another word, the four identical looking men rushed out of the alley, leaving me alone with the Rat man.

Looking over my shoulder to him, he blinked.

"Uh…" I trailed off, not sure what to say. "Are you… alright?" I asked slowly, moving away from him.

Hesitant, he nodded. "Yes. I am unharmed. Are you as well Ms.?"

"…Yeah." I rubbed my upper arm that was soar. That guy sure did have a grip.

"We heard some crashing down that way Sir!" I could hear a women yell from towards the streets. Someone must have called the police hearing all the yelling and crashing from the little fight just now. Looking back towards the street I gasped when I turned around to see the Rat man backing up.

"Wait-" I wanted to call out but, he turned away. In a moment of hesitation, he looked to a few small turtles that had been caught in the ooze.

They had changed with him, and he must have felt responsible or something, fore in a quick rush he scooped them up into his arms.

I didn't understand it at the time what this man was running from. He did no wrong.

Thinking back to it though, it was for the best that he ran and dove for the nearest entrance, a manhole, into the sewers.

If the police, or anyone had seen him, and not know the reason why he was like this, it would cause a panic.

So the rat man disappeared, leaving me in the silence of the after battle. I heard once that it was before and after the battle that everything was still.

And it was a little too still for my liking. Fore just as swiftly as the whole situation had occurred, the Rat Man disappeared into the sewers with the small turtles. It had only been 5 minutes, yet all of this was happening.

"_I should just mind my own business. Just go on with my own life and forget any of this ever happened. I am probably crazy anyway and imagined the whole thing_." I thought grimly, hoping that the ooze in front of me would just disappear like the rat did.

But just when I turned to leave the alleyway before anyone could see me, something soft, like a… whimper, caught my attention.

Looking back, my eyes caught sight of a small trail of ooze that lead a little away from the original spill.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of a small, baby turtle, squirming wildly around the trashcans.

Stuck on it's back and unable to get up, the baby had no other choice but to cry out softly, and hope someone would come to rescue it.

The once man, now rat, had forgotten one!

In it's panic and rush, I didn't blame that poor guy, but… NOW WHAT DO I DO?!

_**Well? What do you all think? Was it okay? Please review! :D **_


	2. I'm here

**_Chapter two! Here we go! :D :D_**

_In it's panic and rush, I didn't blame that poor guy, but... NOW WHAT DO I DO?!  
_I should just leave it.

_You've never had a pet before, have never taken care of another being before, and can barely provide for yourself. _

_Taking this little turtle under your wing wont end well for either him or you. _

_And lets face it… you are not the most mature person around. Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility that you will probably screw up. So just walk away. _

Yet when I turned once more, determined to leave the turtle behind, it's soft cry made me hesitate.

_Oh… Who am I kidding? I can't just leave the little guy all alone. Not to mention, he was a baby. There is no way he would be able to protect himself, especially if he is having trouble getting up from being on his back. _

If he didn't die from starvation, this little guy would surely get run over, eaten by a cat, or dissected when someone else stumbled upon him!

With a heavy sigh, I carefully approached the little one. At my approach, it paused from its whimpering and struggles, looking up at me with teary eyes.

_Turtles can cry?_

_Oh that just made it worst. I can't handle tears_!

_This was the moment everything changed. The quick seconds that I made a decisions that made the difference of how I would spend the rest of my life. _

My gaze locked with the baby turtles, which were wide with confusion and fear.

The way he looked at me. He needed help. No, he needed _my _help. He was depending on me.

Quickly bending down, I pulled off my jacket.

"There, there." I said softly, placing the jacket on the baby's stomach, covering his arms and legs before I lifted him up to completely surround him. His little head was the only thing sticking out from the jacket as he stared at me with wide red eyes.

"…Um… Hi there little guy." I gave him a nervous smile as I brought him close, cradling him.

He gurgled in response, spouting random words of nonsense.

"…Kay." I nodded, as if he had said something super important before I speed out of the alleyway as fast as I could.

I moved at a quick speed walk until I was at least a few blocks away from the alley, then I began to slow down into a calm and normal walk.

No one really noticed me as I cradled my jacket close to my chest.

If only they knew what exactly was inside the jacket… and what was currently drooling on my shirt.

_Gross. _

_Okay Arinna, brain storming time. You've angered four identical men, watched a man turn into a Rat, and you're currently taking a large baby turtle home. _

_You need a game plan!_

Ducking to the left, I maneuvered my way within the crowds, patting the back of the jacket in hope to keep the turtle from making any noise.

It took some effort, but I managed to get 'home' without too much trouble. With a good 10 minutes of walking, the little baby didn't make much noise either.

He was rather mellow for an infant.

The turtle's personality aside, I moved to make my way over the wired fence that surrounded my home.

Rushing into the abandoned building that I had been calling 'home' for the past few weeks, I glanced back nervously to see if I had been followed.

_Who would possibly be following me though? Those suited men perhaps? They disappeared after the cops began to show up_.

_That didn't mean that they wouldn't want revenge for the Rat man kicking their butts. Or me… flipping one onto the ground. _

_Yeah, I might be a little mad if someone did that to me. _

Pushing the thought into the back of my mind I rushed inside. Using my feet, I opened and slammed the door behind me.

Still in a panic rush I raced for the stairs.

Reaching the top floor, I moved to the room I spent most of my time in. The mattress in the room was fairly intact and there weren't any holes in the roof of this room.

Moving to the ground, I sat crisscrossed.

I hadn't realized it, but my heartbeat was still racing. My breaths were short and panicked, my grip on the little turtle tight. It took me a few minutes, but after I while, my breathing returned to normal, and I calmed down.

_Just stay calm Arinna…. Stay calm. _

The small turtle squirmed a bit, and I placed him on the ground in front of me.

Wiggling free, he moved his hand out of the blanket, and looked around the room curiously.

Sitting upward, almost in a crouched position, which was surprising for an infant, _(though he wasn't exactly a normal infant_) he smiled at me.

_How long did it usually take for a baby to sit up all by itself? Though this baby had only recently changed into a… life sized infant, that didn't necessarily mean that it's body would be at the age of a one day old._

I blinked, finally able to get a good view of the baby in front of me.

His eyes were wide and a beautiful shade of red.

But the thing that caught my attention the most was that this little turtle already had teeth with a small gap between them. Was that normal for turtles to have teeth as a baby? Or were they supposed to slowly grow them in like a normal?

Then again this turtle was neither a normal human nor turtle baby.

As the baby smiled at me, I chuckled at the gap.

_It was cute_.

Reaching forward, I grabbed my jacket and brushed it over the little turtle's body. When I pulled away I examined it, finding no sign of the ooze from before anywhere on it.

_Had it sunk into the jacket? _

There was none of it on the little turtle either.

Carefully I threw the jacket into the corner, not sure whether I could ever use it again or not.

That didn't really matter right now though, did it? All that really did was that the turtle was whining.

_Why is he whining? _

"What?" I asked, reaching out for him. I hesitated for a moment, before placing my hand on his head. "What do you want?"

The baby continued to whimper, the source of its whining un-known.

"What?" I sighed in defeat, throwing my hands up in the air. "I don't understand. What do you want? The Toilet? Food?" I groaned.

_Ah-ha! That was it! The turtle was probably hungry!_

_Oh but wait… what do turtles eat?_

At the thought of food, I reached for my backpack, pulling out the pizza that Mr. Jonet had given me. Placing it on the ground next to me, I contemplated on what exactly I could feed a turtle.

Could they eat pizza? Well I know that _I_ was going to eat the pizza. Could he have a few slices as well?

_Well I don't want to take the chance and accidentally poison the little guy. He isn't a normal turtle though, so maybe he can eat pizza?_

Slowly lifting up a piece, I glanced towards the baby, who stared at me.

"Here little turtle." I held the pizza out to him, hoping to bait him to come closer. At the sound of sniffing, I grinned in victory when he slowly approached. "That's it." I smiled. "This is pizza. It's food. Foooddddd." I held out the word.

When he got close enough, the little turtle lifted his head out a bit more, sniffing the pizza cautiously. With a few more sniffs, it opened its mouth, and took a small bite.

_Now, I could either be the smartest person in the world for using what I had to give the turtle food, or the dumbest in the world for feeding it pizza and poisoning it. _

Blinking anxiously, I smiled when the turtle smiled at the taste, reaching out for another bite. It took a while, but the pizza slowly diminished down to the crust, where the turtle stopped.

Once it had reached the crust, the turtle turned away.

"What's wrong? You don't like the crust?" I blinked as I watched him crawl towards the box in search of more pizza. Right before he could reach in for another bit, I grabbed him, lifting him up. "You shouldn't be picky." I shook my finger at him. "The crust is good too."

Holding the turtle in my lap, I move the crust towards him. He turned his head away, whining.

"What?' I questioned. "You haven't even tried it! How can you say- or um… whine, that you don't like it?" I held the pizza crust to him again, but he hit it away wildly with his three little fingers.

"Oh why you little picky turtle." I pouted. "You can't just eat the pizza and then not eat the crust. The pizza would never be whole without the crust." Lifting the crust piece up to my mouth, I took a small bit.

That must have caught the little turtle's interest because he looked at me in shock.

"That's right." I nodded, chewing loudly for him to hear. "I ate the nasty crust. And it's delicious. Too bad you don't get any of this delicious crust." I reached up, taking another bit.

The turtle watched me curiously, before he reached up his little hands, trying to take the crust from my grip.

"Oh now you want some? After I started eating it?" I chuckled, handing it to him. He held it curiously, sniffing the crust pieces in confusion. Looking over the whole piece, the little turtle looked up at me confused.

"You still don't want it? Alright, I guess I'll eat it." I reached down and he placed it in my hands. Lifting it up, I stuffed the rest in my mouth. "All gone." I smiled when I swallowed.

-000-

It was getting dark out, and the moonlight shinned brightly threw the windows.

The room, illuminated by the moons light, helped focus my eyes on the small turtle. For the past 30 minutes it had been crawling around the room on all fours, stumbling over its own legs.

"Little turtle…" I called after him once and a while. Each time I did, the turtle would pause, look at me for a few seconds, smile (_Showing the cutest gap ever!)_, and continue to run around, at a faster speed than before, as if I was chasing him.

At some point I joined his little game. I got on my hands and knees and slowly crawled after him.

The turtle squeaked in delight and stumbled around some more.

_That little sound was so cute_! _I didn't even know a turtle could squeak._

I smiled and quickened my pace a bit. Every time I would reach for him, the small little turtle would sudden change directions, barely avoiding me.

After the forth time of him dodging, I chuckled. "You're a smart little turtle, aren't you?" I mused.

_Wait a minute! Arinna… what are you doing? Stop it, stop it right now. You're getting attached to him! That's not good! Not good at all! Bad Arinna, bad!_

I mentally cursed myself. I couldn't help it. I hadn't had company in a long time, and this little baby was smiling at me.

_Not to be courteous, or cause he had to, but because he wanted to. He smiled because he was happy seeing me. _

"Oh no no, you don't stick your fingers there!" I snapped out of my thoughts when the little turtle started to stick his fingers curiously towards an outlet. Leaping forward, I scooped him up from behind.

Squeaking more in delight then in shock, the little turtle began to laugh, trying to wiggle out of my grip.

"Ah, where you going?" I chuckled. "Were _you_ going?" My voice grew higher in pitch the more I talked to him. "Huh? Where do you think you're going? Huhhhhh?" I poked him gently, right on the side of his neck, making him giggle. "You trying to get away from me? Are you?" I continued to tickle the little guy. After a while I moved back towards the bed, collapsing on top of it. I lifted the turtle towards the ceiling, staring up at him.

He giggled, staring down at me.

"Look at you. You're so cute." I cooed when he wiggled his toes, curiously trying to reach for them.

**_BOOM!_**

The turtle and me both jumped at the large sound of thunder from outside. A storm was coming.

The sound seemed to startle the turtle because he began to cry.

_Uh-oh._

"Oh! No, no, no. It's okay. It's okay." I sat up to hold the turtle close.

Not completely sure what to do I gently bounced him. "There, there. UH… It's all right little turtle. It's okay." I smiled gently at him. Seeing my face, his cries became quite, as if just my face alone was enough to calm him down.

The fact that he calmed down, and that I did something right, surprised me. I stared at that turtle for a long time, feeling so unsure. He smiled, reaching out for me.

I froze when his little had touched my cheek. It reminded me of when my mother would touch my cheek when I was upset, or right before I went to bed.

I felt my heart melt as the little baby giggled, grabbing a hold of my nose.

Another boom of thunder echoed outside, making the baby shy back, hiding himself in my shirt. Reaching down, I patted his shell in reassurance.

"It's okay little turtle… I'm here." I said softly, holding him as close as I could. "…I'm here."

**_Please review! And any constructive criticism would be awesome if you guys think I need it :D _**


	3. An old lullaby for you

**_I felt inspired, so I started on Chapter 3 right away! And whoa, 8 reviews on chapter two. 0.0 I'm new to this sight, so I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but I know I sure was surprised! Thank a bunch everyone! :D_**

**_OH YEAH! Important note! Some people have sent me some messages asking what Arinna looks like, because I haven't put anything about what she looks like in the past two chapters. _**

**_Well, I'm going to say this now; I will never bring up what Arinna looks like. _**

**_Since this is a fic based on the idea that the turtles get a mom, I want to leave what Arinna looks like to the viewers imagination. :D Because I think the appearance of a 'mom' is different to everyone. So basically Arinna can look like whatever you want her to. :)_**

_Hmmm…._

_Oh man, I had the weirdest dream. Maybe it was from all the pizza I ate?_

Squinting my eyes open, I groaned when the light from the window hit my eyes. Moving my arm up to cover my eyes, I remained motionless.

_…My stomach is oddly warm. Like a cat is sitting on it or something. I probably just left a book there or something. Whatever book, I'm not going to bother to move you and just go back to sleep. _

_…_

_…Wait a minute… I don't own any books. _

Slowly moving my arm away from face, I cautiously looked down towards my stomach.

_…Oh yeah, the baby turtle. _

_…Oh no, that wasn't a dream. _

_So all of what happened yesterday was real? Oh that's… that's great! Perfect, fabulous, just dandy. What was I going to do now? Huh? Huh?! _

_Come on brain, what's the plan? Am I just going to keep this little turtle for the rest of my life? You know what, I might actually be able to do that. That is, of course, if it stayed the size it is now. _

_What if it grew? It was a baby after all, so growth wasn't unlikely. _

_Oh great, if it grew I wouldn't be able to hide him very well. _

_People would eventually see him, take pictures and millions would know about him. _

_I could just see the press and scientists running up to try and get a glimpse and/or dissect him!_

Without thinking I reached down, petting the turtle's head. Feeling the warmth of my hand against its skull, it moved closer, rubbing his head against my hand affectionately.

I smiled warmly at him as he opened his eyes to blink at me.

"I wonder…" I mumbled as I moved a bit to get a better look at the baby laying on my stomach, "…Should I name you? I don't think I can go calling you 'turtle' or 'baby' forever." The little baby moved a bit, curling into my stomach like a cat. With the name thought in my head, I placed my hand on the back of his shell to hold him place. "…Good Morning… little baby turtle." I whispered.

_When was the last time I had said 'Good Morning' to someone? _

_…Too long, really. _

-000-

Hamato Yoshi sighed, staring at the three young turtles. After a long night, and the storm that had rolled in, it had made the three restless.

Luckily, they seemed to calm down the closer they were to him.

He slowly smiled when the three subconsciously inched a little closer into his side, looking for warmth. I didn't matter whether they were turtles or not, they were still infants, and they needed him.

It was his fault they were like this in the first place.

He frowned.

_It was his fault. No one was to blame but himself. _

It was true, had he not followed that strange man, none of this would have occurred. That was not the worst of it though.

In his rush… he had left one of the four turtles behind. As soon as he had settled down, giving him a chance to collect his bearings, he realized his mistake.

It was too late to un-due them however.

When he had returned to that alleyway, the police were already present, and there were no signs of the small turtle anywhere.

He could only assume the worst.

There were many different scenarios that could have occurred after he vanished from the alleyway.

The police could have taken the turtle, most likely sending it to be looked at by scientists. Who knows what could come from that.

A citizen took him, either handing him over to the police or keeping him out of curiosity.

Or finally, the girl he saw in the alleyway took him. He wasn't sure if he could trust that girl or not, but she seemed the closest thing to an ally he had at the moment. So he prayed that the turtle's fate had ended with the third outcome.

Hamato Yoshi paused from his thoughts when a small hand tugged on his arm. Looking down, he was surprised to see one of the turtles was awake, and reaching up to him.

"What are you doing up, little one?' he inquired softly, hoping not to wake the others.

Without a sound, the little turtle blinked his dark blue eyes up at Yoshi repeatedly. Yoshi frowned, not sure what the turtle needed.

"…Is something troubling you?' he slowly asked.

The little turtle looked to the other two, and then back up at Yoshi. Yoshi followed the turtle's gaze, before looking back into those dark blue orbs.

_Could it be that…_

"Do you miss the fourth turtle?"

_Yoshi wasn't certain whether these turtles were blood related or not, but they were the closest thing to family they would ever have. They were like brothers, and this little turtle was most likely worried about his missing brother. _

The dark blue-eyed turtle scooted a little closer to Yoshi, his eyes narrowing, as if to hold back tears. He clung to Yoshi's arm, hiding his face in the fur.

Hesitantly, Yoshi reached out with his other hand, patting the young turtles head. "There, there, young one. You're brother will be found… I promise."

_Yoshi wasn't sure if he could keep a promise like that. That wouldn't stop him from trying though. _

-000-

_No. No, you're not doing this. This idea is stupid, risky, and will stink… literally. _

When eleven rolled around, I began to _consider,_ entering the sewers. I didn't understand completely, but I felt as if I had to find that man. The man that had been changed into a rat.

It should be none of my business, but acting as if nothing had happened at all… it wasn't right!

_Not to mention…_

I looked towards the little baby, who was smacking his hand against the ground, giggling, than smacking it again. I wasn't going to question why he found this so amusing, fore he was just a baby, but that doesn't mean I didn't watch with confusion.

_This little turtle basically belonged to the Rat. I'm not a genius, but I'm pretty sure that man had bought this turtle, along with the other three, from that pet store yesterday. _

It also made me wonder, had he noticed that one was missing? If he was, was he searching for the turtle now? If I were in the rat's position, would I be looking for this little guy?

I don't know, but I feel like it was up to me to find out.

"Hey little guy, we're going on a trip." I announced as I moved off the bed to make my way to my backpack.

Watching me, the turtle followed me with a small smile, circling my feet.

"Yes, and you are coming too." I reached down and lifted him up from under the arms. Holding him up, he giggled when I lifted him above my head.

I paused and did it again, bouncing him a bit. He giggled and reached for my face as he did the night before.

I didn't understand what was happening. The more I spent time with this little turtle, the more I didn't want to let him go. The more I wanted to keep him by my side.

Teach him what I know and watch him grow.

_Ah! There you go again! You're getting attached! WAY too attached. Stop it now Arinna. You know this wont end well. You'll get attached, and then you'll get hurt. Just like… Just like you always do. _

With that depressing thought, I lowered the turtle down to stare him in the eyes.

"…You wont break my heart too… right?' I asked softly. I wasn't sure if he could see the hurt in my eyes, or he just liked my nose, but he reached out for me again. This time however, instead of grabbing my nose, he leaned in, pressing his snout to my nose.

Surprised, I blinked at him, stopping all my movements. The turtle rubbed his snout to my nose affectionately before pulling away, giggling.

I didn't understand why, but that gesture made me feel better. "Thanks little guy." I hugged him close.

Enjoying the embrace, the turtle blinked when a grumble erupted from his stomach. He looked up at am expectantly.

"Oh… you're hungry." I nodded wistfully. "What do turtles usually eat anyway?" I inquired, titling my head at the little baby.

_I couldn't just go feeding him pizza forever. It didn't seem to be causing him any problems, but I should feeding him things he would normally eat. _

I think they ate worms and bugs.

Well lucky for me, it had just rained last night. So plenty worms for the picking!

Bringing the turtle to the bottom floor, I placed him on a small mat, distracting him with a small ball of yarn that had been left in one of the cabinets.

With him distracted by it, I took my chance to sneak out the front door and collect some worms. I would put them in a jar I found and feed them to the little turtle whenever he got hungry on our search for the rat.

_I wonder if it is normal for someone to bend down to the dirt and pluck worms from the ground? _

_Well don't mind me New York citizens. I'm just your normal, everyday worm harvester. I collect worms so you don't have too. _

_I should so make my own business off of this. It would definitely make a funny commercial. _

As I filled the jar to the top with worms, a small cry caught my attention. Turning back to the house my eyes widened at the sight before me.

Some how the little baby turtle had manage to get onto the porch. I knew I shouldn't have left the front door opened.

The turtle was entangled in strings and trying to figure out how to get off the porch and reach me.

He paced about the step, looking up at me like a lost pup. Reaching a hand out, he squeaked out a little sob, wanting to reach me.

"Oh." I covered my mouth at the sight. "I'm coming!" I ran to him, kneeling down. As soon as I was close enough, the turtle crawling into my arms, gripping my shoulder tightly. In seconds the turtles was smiling again and trying to wiggle free. "Oh you little goof. You just don't want to be alone, do you?'

_I understand that. _

"Well Mr. Baby Turtle." I moved past him to grab my backpack. "You and me are heading out on an adventure. It will take intelligence, strength, and all the courage you've got." I placed my hands on my hips for the affect, staring down at him.

Confused, he titled his head at me.

"…Yeah, that was lame." I nodded in agreement. "We gotta hide you though." I opened my backpack, removing anything that I wouldn't need. When there was enough space to hide a small turtle, I grabbed him and gently put him inside.

He whined in protest, looking up at me from within the backpack. Gravity was not on his side as he tried to get out of the blue trap, lifting his arms up for help.

_Oh, this wasn't going to be easy. I couldn't just carry him around like I did yesterday. I wouldn't take the chance of touching my jacket again. _

_Then again, putting him in my backpack probably wasn't the smartest idea either. _

"Come on little guy, it is just till I can find a way into the sewers." I begged. I wouldn't close the bag up all the way. Just enough so that he wouldn't fall out, or that people could see him.

If I left the house as he was now though, he would start to cry, and people would start to question why it sounded like someone was crying in my backpack.

Some people might assume that I was kidnapping someone! I couldn't have that.

With a small sigh I reached inside, pulling the turtle into my arms to cradle him like a baby… which is what he was. "There, there." I said softly. Maybe if I could get him to sleep.

Gently swaying from side to side, I smiled at him. "Come on, hush little turtle. Sleep time." I said in a soft tone. The baby stared at me with wide eyes as if trying to say _'Lady, if you want me to sleep, you need to try much harder than that'._

I pouted at him. Maybe a lullaby or something?

_Okay Arinna, time to dust off those pipes and sing this little kid a lullaby! Here we go! _

_… Wait, which lullaby. I don't really know any good ones. I could make one up. _

"Okay um… Time from some… random lyrics!" I cheered. "Everyone loves random lyrics, right? Do you like random lyrics? I bet you do." I nodded to myself.

_Oh great, now I'm just stalling. _

"Kay… Kay." I cleared my throat a few times. "Mememememe." I mumbled a few vocal warm ups before I finally attempted my first made up lullaby. Well, it was sort of made up.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word… Arinna's gonna buy you a mocking bird."

_Can you even by one of those? _

_"_And if that mocking bird don't sing, Arinna's gonna buy you a… Diamond ring."

_Yeah like I would ever have enough money to do that… I think that was the next part of the song though. Good one! Keep going. _

_"_And if that Diamond ring don't shine, well Arinna's gonna buy you a… brand new sign."

_…What?_

"And if that brand new sign is not… legible, Arinna's is going to buy something that is… credible."

_Okay this is lame. Oh, wait! He's closing his eyes! He likes it! Or I'm just… boring him. Either one works I guess._

_"_And if nothing is credible, Arinna is gonna buy you something that is edible."

Sneezing suddenly, the turtle blinked, once again wide-awake.

_Dang it! I was close. That singing thing was working though, so I just have to try again. Think of a song that isn't stupid though Arinna._

"Shut up Brain." I grumbled to myself. Looking back to the turtle, I smiled as he stared up me with those wide red eyes.

Something in my brain clicked to a song my mother once sang.

"…_Once upon a time there was a girl, just a simple school girl. She was skinny and small, put against a world that seemed so tall. Little girl struggled, moving within the world, which only chuckled… she can't believe that her dreams may never reach the sky. She just had to try and fly." _

The little turtle curled into my arms, his eyes slowly growing heavy.

_"Once upon a time there was a girl, and her life went for a swirl. She had to look inside to truly understand, this world would never be a wonderland. Her past, the world around her, it was all so vast. Her dream, her life, they were all much more then they seem."_

I didn't realize just down close I was holding the little turtle. I held onto him with all I had. It had been so long since I sang this song. I mean, it wasn't that I didn't like singing, I actually had an okay voice I just… this was my mother's song she made for me.

"_Once upon a time there was a girl, who spun around in a twirl. She stood her ground; fore she was meant to be free. Her life belongs to her, just as yours does for you. Don't let your life become untrue."_

As my voice faded, I smiled as the turtle snored softly in my arms. _The song worked, thank goodness_.

Slowly kneeling down I carefully lifted the blanket, which I had brought with me, around him. Placing him inside the backpack, I made a perfect nest around him.

Zipping the backpack up almost all the way, I smiled when I could still see him through a bit I left open.

_Now time for the awkward part. _

Just to be safe, I would wear the backpack differently. Instead of the pack against my back, I would have it against my stomach and chest. I would be wearing the backpack backwards.

_Yup, sounded, and most likely looked, weird. But hey, there have been stranger things in New York City!_

Lifting the bag onto my shoulders, I slowly hosted the bag up with me. The baby lay undisturbed, which was a good thing for me.

Moving out the front door, I smiled up at the sky.

_Time to go Rat hunting or um… finding. Searching? _

_Whatever. _


	4. Splinter

**_Okay guys so I was sort of in a rush with this chapter. It will be at least a week before I update again because I'm going on vacation! So, sorry if there are a lot of spelling errors in this chapter!_**

_Ew. _

_Eww. _

_EWW!_

_This place was nasty! It was as if I just entered a mix of a troll's cave and a dung beetles' home. _

_Should I even mention the smell? No, I really shouldn't. Just thinking about it is making it worse. _

I had to cover my mouth with my sleeve until I was slowly able to get use to it.

Even then though, there were certain spots that were worse than others. The little turtle didn't seem to mind though. He just followed behind me like a good little boy, stopping on when I stopped walking.

Looking over my shoulder, I smiled to see him looking at me. Seeing my face, the little baby smiled, revealing that little gap between his teeth.

"Good boy." I praised, making him grin. He was such a sweet little guy.

Now though, how was I going to even remotely explain to him… that we're lost?

_Great going Arinna! Look what you did! You walked into the sewers without a plan, and more importantly, a map! Now you're lost in these endless tunnels. _

_What were you thinking?! How did you expect to find the Rat Man in this big of a maze! It's impossible! And even if there was a chance you could find him, it would take forever!_

"Well little guys, it seems like it's just you and me against this maze." I sighed, looking over my shoulder to the little turtle.

He smiled happily at me, completely unaware of just how bad the situation might actually be.

Then again, maybe I'm making too big of a deal out of it?

There are manholes all over New York, all leading into the sewers. If I just find a ladder along the wall, that's my way up.

Turning the corner, I glanced back again to make sure that the little turtle was still following. He had fallen a bit behind, but me waiting a few seconds gave him a chance to catch up.

Once he was close enough he looked up at me, waiting patiently for me to continue.

Chuckling I continued down the line. Looking forward, I froze.

_…No way. Really! Is that who I think it is!_

Down the sewer line a large figure was crouched, looking as if he was talking or moving three little creatures forward.

_A large figure? Three little creatures?! It had to be him! _

"Hey!" I screamed down the sewer line. The figure at the end froze, whirling around to look at me.

It had to be Rat man! He was too big, and looked rather hairy for a normal human being, so it had to be.

Running forward, I glanced back only momentarily to see that the Little turtle was stumbling after me, trying to keep up with my speed, but ultimately failing, and falling far behind.

_Perhaps I should have thought my plan a little more through. Maybe a slow approach would have been better?_

_Say you were in the sewers, which was dark, and someone suddenly yelled at you. You would be a little on-guard, right? So then, say they suddenly started to run at you at full speed. You would think they were trying to attack you, right?_

_Yeah well… I'm running towards Rat Man, in the dark, in the sewers. _

_….Yup. I'm the biggest moron in the world._

As soon as I got close enough, the Rat man lashed out in defense, trying to get a swing on me. I barely dodged to the left, hitting the wall.

"Wow!" I gasped as he moved to kick me. Ducking back, I pushed myself off the wall and too the middle of the sewer path.

I shrieked when he brought his fist towards my face. Ducking back, I watched the fist, barely grazing my nose, as it passed. When he pulled back, I sat straight, breathing hard.

_Oh great! Attacked again in under 24 hours. That's a new record Arinna._

My opponent rushed forward, prepared for the final strike.

"WAIT!" I screamed, throwing my hands up to cover my face.

My attacked froze, his fists inches from my nose.

"I-I mean no harm! Really! I was just down here looking for someone." I stammered quickly, hoping that who ever this guy was, he would let me go in peace.

"…You…" The surprised voice caught me off guard.

_I expected more anger, or confusion to go along with that next sentence._

"You are the girl from yesterday."

_Wait… What?_

Slowly lowering my hands, I squinted into the darkness. Once my eyes adjusted a bit more, they widened at the sight of the large Rat Man standing before me.

"Rat Man!" I gasped.

_Sweet French toast fingers! I actually found him! Thank goodness this guy was Rat Man and not some other guy. That would have been awkward to try and explain. _

"What are you doing down here child?" Rat Man asked me, his voice soaked in confusion.

"I-"

A squeal of delight cut my sentence off. One of the little turtles behind Rat Man began to squeal wildly, overjoyed for some unknown reason.

Rat Man and me watched in shock as the little turtle crawled out from behind Rat Man's foot to crawl towards me.

This turtle was different then the one I was traveling with. The body structure was basically the same, but there were a few characteristics about him that made him different.

This baby had bright blue baby eyes and a light dust of freckles covering his face.

_Why was he crawling this was thought?_

_No… he wasn't crawling towards me…_

The little red eyed turtle behind me, who had finally caught up, smiled at the sight of the approaching turtle. He babbled some unknown gibberish and stumbled forward. The two didn't stop until they reached each other, pressing their foreheads together affectionately.

_Aww. They missed each other. _

Slowly the other two turtles appeared from behind Rat Man, before running to join the happy reunion. The four circled each other, pushing and rubbing their heads together in a greeting.

Mr. Rat Man smiled at the sight, looking up at me with a content smile.

"You looked after him?" he motioned to the little turtle I had been caring for.

I nodded. "Yeah. I was worried… that the police or someone might do something to him. So I, uh… took him with me?"

"Thank you." Mr. Rat man bowed gratefully.

"Oh no. I mean, I sort of considered leaving him. I mean, I didn't know what to do, or how to care for him." I stammered quickly, waving my hands across my face in disagreement.

"You did well." Mr. Rat Man insisted. "You brought him back to his brothers without any harm coming to him."

"…Yeah." I shrugged, trying not to smile. So I had done something right after all.

_Thank goodness._

"Come, sit. You must be tired." Mr Rat man motioned for me to sit next to him on the side of the sewers. Hesitantly, I approached him.

"So um… Who are you?" I asked as the two of us leaned against the sewer walls, staring at the four baby turtles stumble around and run into each other.

"… My name is Hamato Yoshi." He said softly, his voice. "May I ask who you are?"

_Oh okay, so his name isn't Mr. Rat Man. It would be a little weird, yet ironic, if it was. _  
"Oh… my name is Arinna." I gave him a small smile.

"Hello Ms. Arinna. If you don't mind me asking, why have you ventured all the way down here, to the sewers?" Yoshi inquired.

"Oh." I looked back to the turtles. "To find you, and the other little turtles." I answered.

"…Why?"

_Why did I come all this way just to return the little turtle? _

"…Well, I couldn't just leave you." I chuckled. "I saw what happened to you yesterday. Acting like I saw nothing isn't right, and I knew you needed help. Not to mention… that little turtle basically belongs to you." I pointed to the little turtle I had been taking care of.

Though the four turtles all looked very much a like, there were certain characteristic about them that separated them.

For instance, the turtle I had been caring for had a gap between his teeth and red eyes.

None of his… brothers-_could I call them his brothers? Yeah yeah_, none of his brothers had red eyes or a gap

"I see." Yoshi nodded. "I thank you for coming all this way Ms. Arinna."

"It wasn't a problem at all." I smiled. _"_Wait… well, it was a bit of a problem. I mean, not _too _big of a problem, but still a problem. Well I mean, searching through the sewers is bound to be a problem, especially if you're new at it. Then again, I wonder if the person who designed the sewers would get lost as well. This place is like a maze!" I babbled, motioning down the sewer line.

Yoshi stared at me while I talked, a small chuckle escaping him to cut me off. Realizing that I was babbling, I clamped my mouth shut.

"Oh… sorry." I mumbled sheepishly.

"It is fine, young one." Yoshi chuckled with a smile. "It is nice having company after so long."

_After so long? Did he live alone? Perhaps 24 hours in silence and being in a sewer is really lonely. I know being on the surface for more than 24 hours is. _

I nodded. "Mr. Yoshi. Can I ask you something?"

_I hope I don't sound pushy. _

Yoshi nodded, letting me speak my mind.

"Do you have… family? Y'know, up there? Will they be worried about you?" I asked slowly

Yoshi frowned at this, turning to look up at the ceiling. "No. I live alone." He announced.

"…I see." I looked at my feet. _Good going Arinna. _

"I came to America only a short time ago from Japan." He explained. "I left behind my old life in Japan after… after my wife passed."

My eyes widened at this. _GOOD GOING ARINNA! Way to bring up a painful past, you idiot! Look at him, he's heart broken!_

_"_I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories." I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, hoping to some how comfort him.

"It is alright." Yoshi sent me a small smile. "Many things happen in this world that we have no say it. Terrible tragedies. In a way, it is part of life. I am sure my beloved wife would want me to keep looking forward, instead of being trapped by the past."

_This guy… he sure was wise. _

"However, I would be lying if I said that I will not miss the life I once had." His eyes grew dark with an emotion that I felt all too familiar with.

He knew.

He knew he would never be able to get back everything he had lost. It must have been so painful for him.

"If it… means anything at all, I understand." He turned to me, his expression unreadable. "I mean, my life wasn't as flipped upside down as yours… but I know what it is like to lose everything you hold dear. But um… I don't think…. That is to say, you're life right now may not be as… bad as you think."

Yoshi looked puzzled, not sure what I meant.

"I mean, I know being turned into a Rat isn't the best thing to happen to you. You've lost a lot of things in the past 24 hours." I paused. "What I'm trying to say is that… you are alive Mr. Yoshi. You still have your life and your heart, beating inside you

Yoshi stared at me, either shocked by my words or impressed, I wasn't sure.

_Well, to be honest, I'm surprised to Mr. Yoshi. I've always thought I was lucky to at least be alive, and doing as well as I am. There are many people in the world who are worse off than I ever will be. _

_So I shouldn't complain and just be thankful for what I have, even if it isn't much._

"Thank you." Yoshi smiled warmly at me.

_It was a sweet moment. But I had to wonder… Rat's can actually smile? Huh, you learn something new every day! _

After that, the rat and me sat in silence.

"So then… what will you do now?" I asked after a few minutes

"Survive. Stay hidden." Mr. Yoshi answered solemnly.

I nodded. "And them?" I motioned to the turtles, who were staring curiously to the sewer water streaming by.

"They are my responsibility now. I shall watch over them."

_At least I could rest a little easier now, knowing that the little turtle and his brothers will be in good hands. _

_But there was still something that bothered me. I knew Mr. Yoshi said he was fine… but he can't be perfectly okay with this. _

His life had been shattered behind him. Leaving on a painful reminder of the life he once had, and the life now forced upon him. What must it be like, to know that you can never return to the surface without being shunned by society?

I was sure that time would eventually heal his broken heart and soul, but that wound would still always be there. That pain would always linger, only revealing itself at times.

In ways… it was sort of like a…

"…_Splinter_…" I mumbled.

Yoshi looked to me, puzzled. "A splinter?" he inquired.

"Oh." I perked up. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking allowed." I chuckled nervously.

"Of splinters? Do you have one now?"

"No, not at all. I was just… thinking of you, Mr. Yoshi." I admitted softly.

"I see. However, I am confused how splinters and myself are relevant to each other."

"Well…" I paused, not sure whether to continue my thoughts. "I was just thinking, that in a way, what you are going threw is like a… splinter."

"A splinter?" he repeated, still not completely understanding.

"Yes. What's happening to you right now is like a splinter. I'm sure in time you'll get use to it, but the pain of what you lost will still always silently linger. Like a splinter."

Moving a hand to his chin, Yoshi looked to the ceiling in contemplation. "I suppose you are correct." He nodded. "This is like a splinter indeed. In fact, I quite like the sound of that."

"Huh?" I titled my head.

"Please Ms. Arinna I ask that you call me, '_Splinter_' from now one." He smiled at me.

"Splinter? Why would… I mean, I-I was just saying is all. Calling yourself Splinter, I mean… it is fine if you want, but…" I trailed off at his content smile. "…Why?"

"I am no longer the man I was. Though I am Hamato Yoshi in here," he paused to place a hand on his chest, "I am a rat on the outside. It is… in a way, as if I have been given a new life and purpose. It seems only fitting to be given a new name as well."

We locked eyes, mine most likely wide with disbelief.

_Did I just name someone? _


	5. Names

_Splinter. _

_I still couldn't believe he had just said he wished to be called that, simply because I put the idea out there! I mean, I'm sure he knew what he was doing and such, but still. _

Still too baffled by the situation, I focused my attention on the small four turtles. They were currently looking over the side of the path, looking down at the rushing water curiously.

They each titled their heads at the rushing liquid, not sure what was the purpose of the stream.

Wanting to start some sort of new conversation, I cleared my throat, "Do you think they will continue to grow?" I inquired, motioning to the four.

"I am not certain." Splinter admitted. "Perhaps."

I smiled. "Maybe you should give them names?" I had wanted to ask this question for the longest time now; it felt good to finally get it out there.

_Bring on the names!_

"Names?' Splinter raised a furry eyebrow.

"Yes. It would get confusing calling them all by 'turtle'. Names may make it easier to know which is which." I pointed out. With a small chuckle, Splinter nodded in agreement.

"Very well, we shall name them. Do you have any suggestions?"  
I paused, moving to look at the four turtles.

_Is he serious?! Can I name one!? That would be awesome!_

Placing my hand on my chin, I mumbled large assortments of names under my breath. Nothing that really stuck came to mind though.

"Jimmy. Frank. Bill. John. Henry. Peter. Anthony. Marcus…. Nah."

With a little click of my tongue, I whistled to the closest turtle. He paused from his running around to look at me. I had noticed through our whole conversation that this little turtle stayed rather close to Splinter and me. He would only leave us when one of his brothers seemed to get too far away. He would then stumble over to them and… in a way, herd them back to the group.

_What a responsible little fella._

"Here little guy." I held out my hand to him, as if he were a dog. "Come here."

Titling his head, he approached my cautiously, sniffing my hand in curiosity. When he deemed me worth enough to trust, he crawled forward, moving into my lap. Rolling onto his shell, he looked up at me.

_….That was cute. No, that was ADORABLE! _

Splinter and me both chuckled as how cute this little one was.

"I suppose we shall start with you. Hmm." Grabbing him below the arms, I lifted him up for us both to get a clear look at him. "You have dark blue eyes. You're skin is also a little bit darker of a green then that others." I noted.

"I was reading a book of Renaissance art early yesterday morning." Splinter announced, staring at the small turtle with a small smile. "There was one name I rather liked, perhaps it would suit him?"  
"What sort of name?" I smiled.

"_Leonardo."_

"Leonardo da Vinci." I recalled back to my short time in school. Lifting the turtle a bit higher, I grinned. "_Leonardo_." The little turtle giggled, wiggly his little feet. "I think he likes it." I mused.

"It would seem so." Splinter agreed, smiling.

_Awesome. So one is officially named. Heh. It's sort of funny. _

_A baby usually got his name shortly after they were born, so in a weird way, it was sort of like Leonardo here was just born too._

_…If that made any sense. _

"Leonardo. You shall be the oldest!" I proclaimed.

"The oldest? How are you able to tell?" Splinter asked, puzzled.  
"I can't, but since we gave him his name first, I just thought that… I dunno, he could be the oldest?" I grew nervous by the end at how silly it sounded.

"Hmmm." Splinter rubbed his chin yet again. "Yes, I suppose that will do."

I beamed at the older Rat, happy to have made some sort of sense. Placing Leonardo back on the ground, I patted his head.

"Good boy." I praised. Leonardo smiled up at me, his tiny little tail, barely visible, wagging in joy. I smiled at him, shooing him to go back to the others.

He wasted no time in stumbling to his brothers.

"Shall we name there others as well?" Splinter inquired after a few short seconds.

"Yeah." I agreed with a large nod.

_Which one next though?_

I noticed that one of the turtles had constantly been bumping into the others, hitting the ground wildly. He was a bit bigger than the others, and much stronger. He could easily knock his brothers down if they weren't paying much attention to him.

When the little guy finally ran over towards Splinter and me, I scooped him up. He kicked, almost angrily, for how I interrupted his playtime.

"What a rowdy little guy." I gawked at him, holding him up. "Oh but what pretty green eyes you have. Since we are naming you next, you are second oldest."

Splinter chuckled at my thought process, but didn't argue.

"Now how about- oh!" I gasped, bringing him close, examining his shell.

_What was that on his shell? Is that a crack!?_

"What is wrong?" Splinter's eyes widened at my worried look.

_This little guy had been hurt!_

_"_His shell!" I lifted him up to show Splinter the crack on the front part of his shell.

"Yes, his plastron seems to have hit something." Splinter took the rowdy little turtle into his arms, examining the damages.

"Is he going to be alright?" I asked softly, reaching out to take the baby turtles hand. He looked at me but slowly gripped my hand back. Bringing it forward, he examined my fingers, too distracted to pay much attention to Splinter.

…_What was this? What was this tight and painful feeling in my chest? Was I that worried over one little turtle, even though I had just met him?_

After a few short seconds, the relived twinkle in Splinter's eyes made me hopeful.

"There are no other damages to him. Only a small crack on the plastron. It is most likely it will never heal, but it should also never be a problem to him."

"Thank goodness." I sighed with relief.

_The pain in my chest had left in one exhale of breath. I truly was relived and thankful this crack would not bring any trouble to the baby. _

"Yes. We are lucky it was nothing worse than a simple crack. It must have happened when I dropped his brothers and him yesterday when the four men attacked me."

"Most likely." I agreed. "I hope none of the others were injured during that fall as well." I looked to the other three, seeing none of them in pain or having any injuries covering their forms.

Splinter nodded, examining the baby's face. "I am not sure what to name this one." Splinter announced, staring at him.

"You could go with another renaissance artist." I suggested.

Splinter seemed to chuckle, for reasons I wasn't sure why, and thought deeply about many other artists he had read about.

"…_Raphael_." Splinter announced.

_Oh, I like it. It just seems to… fit him, for some reason. _

Splinter seemed to like the name as well and nodded in agreement.

As Splinter placed Raphael down, I reached out and patted his head. Raphael seemed to pout angrily at me, but didn't move away from my hand. When I started to pull away, he whimpered at the lost of contact.

"Aww. What? What's wrong?' I asked, petting his head again. Raphael didn't respond much, except for pressing his head a little harder into my head. I sat there, letting Raphael rub his head against my head, sort of how a cat would when they wanted attention. When he seemed satisfied, he pulled away and ran to his brothers again.

"That was cute." I mused as I watched the second oldest stumble off.

"They all seem quite calm around you." Splinter noted.

"The same goes for you." I smiled at him.

_Perhaps they were all just naturally trusting. Or maybe it is because they can sense we mean them no harm?_

My question seemed to answer it self when I felt something pump against my foot a few times.

Looking down, I blinked as one of the little turtles began to crawl into my lap. I didn't argue as he crawled forward, moving to grab onto the bottom of my shirt, reaching his hands up to me, wanting attention.

Dark red eyes locked with mine as the little turtle grinned, revealing a small gap between their teeth.

"Oh it's you." I chuckled. Recognizing my face, the little turtle squeaked in joy, reaching out to grab my nose. Lifting him up, I leaned forward, rubbing my nose to his. "I see you're having fun." I cooed as the little guy giggled, rubbing his nose affectionately to mine.

"Was this the one you were caring for?" Splinter inquired, noting the gap and red eyes.

"Yes." I smiled, staring into those bright red eyes. "I finally get to name you, little guy." I announced. "May I?" I looked to Splinter.

He smiled, motioning for me to continue.

With that happy note, I turned back to the little baby. "I think… I'll follow after Mr. Splinters Renaissance book and name you… _Donatello._" I chuckled. "Little Donatello, the third oldest."

_At last, I could finally call this little baby by a name. And to think, it is a name I was allowed to give him. It made me happy. _

"Little Donatello." I smiled warmly at him. Placing him down, I patted his head. "Okay, you can go play again Donatello." I announced, shooing him towards the others. He looked over his shoulder at me hesitantly before running forward to tackle Leonardo to the ground.

Leonardo squeaked in response, happily rolling around with his younger brother.

"Now, there should be one more if I recall correctly." Splinter looked up, scanning the turtles. It wasn't till we heard a small cry that we noticed the final turtle. It seemed that through the rush from the turtles, Raphael had knocked down the smallest of the four, rolling him onto his back.

The turtle baby cried out, unable to roll back to his legs.  
"Aww, the poor thing." I gasped, jumping to my feet to help. Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello all watched me as I approached the tiny guy. Reaching down, I gently lifted him up.

"There, there." I hummed soothingly, rubbing his shell. The young turtle gripped onto my shirt, whimpering into my shoulder. Moving back to Splinter, he smiled.

"They seem quite attached to you." He mused, pointed to the other three, who had followed me back to the wall.

Looking over my shoulder at Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello, I blinked. They all stared up at me with wide eyes, following my every move.

Slowly pressing my back against the wall, I sunk to the ground, holding the youngest turtle to my chest, still staring at the other three.

…_ How was I suppose to react? They were just staring at me. _

With a few more seconds of awkward silence, I could see that the three turtles in front of me weren't planning on saying, or doing anything but stare, any time soon.

So I moved my attention to the turtle currently whimpering in my arms.

"Little turtle." I said soothingly, hopping to coax him to show his face. It took a while, but he slowly turned to look up at me. "Hey there." I smiled when the baby finally revealed his face.

It was the cutest little turtle I had ever seen. He had bright baby blue eyes and a light dust of freckles covering his face. "Oh… look at you. Aren't you a cutie?' I cooed, lifting him up for Splinter to see. "What should we name you? It would be odd to name you something not based off of renaissance artist like your brother. So… What other artists are there?" I paused to think. "Picaso? Giotto? Masaccio?" I shook my head. None of those names seemed to fit him.

_Michelangelo_?" Splinter inquired with a chuckle. Surprised, I stared the baby turtle up and down.

"…_Michelangelo." _I repeated the few the name a few times, running the name over my tongue. I grinned, lifting the baby up high. "_Michelangelo!" _I cheered, feeling that the name fit him well.

Michelangelo giggled, staring down at me.

"I love it." I announced to Splinter, who nodded in approval.

Leaning forward, I placed Michelangelo next to his brothers, looking the four over.

"Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo." I memorized the names, smiling at all of them.

"They are reunited at last." Splinter spoke next to me. I didn't look at him though. I kept my eyes on the four turtle babies, my eyes locked with theirs.

_Now that they were reunited and with Mr. Yos- Splinter, there was no real need for me, was there? I could never just leave them though. What was I going to do? _None of that matter right now though. All that mattered was that those turtles... those little babies, were all sitting side by side, smiling up at me.

"…The four brothers. The four turtle brothers."


	6. Mission one: New home!

**Hey everyone! I'm back with chapter six!**

**Now, some of you have been asking 'Is this story going to involve Splinter and Arinna becoming a couple?" I am here to answer that question!**

**No. No they are not. **

**Blunt answer, yes I know, but it is true. I have no intention of pairing these two up together. For many reasons; I want them to stay as friends. I can't really imagine them getting together, though some of you might be able to picture that. Also, though I don't judge people who are like this, their ages are far apart. I am pretty sure Splinter is in his late 20's or early 30's, while Arinna is 18 (soon to be 19). **

**So no, they will not be getting together. Hope that clears some things up! :D**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE BOTTOM! **

_Have you ever seen the movie 'I'm singing in the Rain'? If you haven't, you're missing out because I, not that I'm bragging or anything, have seen it about 63 times. _

_I am a very large of that production, not only for it's brilliant story line, but also because my mother and me would watch that for days on end. _

When ever it rained outside we would run out together and dance with out umbrella's singing the song 'I'm singing in the Rain'.

So it felt only right to make up a parody of my favorite song ever.

"I'm singing, in the sewers. I'm singing, in the sewers!" my voice echoed through the sewers pipes as I strolled down the many different tunnels. I had been singing for at least 10 minutes now, completely lost in my own world.

I'm sure if I was more aware I would realize that the four baby turtles, along with Splinter, were following behind me, staring at me. Splinter didn't seem to mind, and actually found the sight quite amusing.

"What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again! I'm laughing at… cement! So gray up above! The stench's in my nose and I'm ready for love!"

_Now, I suppose you're wondering what we're doing? You might assume that we're just taking a Sunday stroll through the sewers… but no, we're not. _

_Who even does that anyway? _

_We're on a much more important mission. And yes, I think of this situation as a mission, because that is what it is. _

_We were on a mission to find my five new friends a home. Somewhere safe were they wouldn't have to worry about citizens from the surface seeing them. _

_…Was it presumptuous to call them my friends? I hope not. I was never really good at making friends. _

"Ms. Arinna." Splinter called to me, pulling me out of my thoughts and singing montage. "There are two different paths coming up a head. Do you have a preference in which path we take?"

Pausing, I looked ahead to see that we were in fact coming up on a cross road to the tunnels.

"Not really." I shrugged. "Both ways smell rather gross."

"That I agree." Splinter chuckled, motioning for the four turtles to continue forward.

Since I was the one leading the whole mission, or at least the one walking in front, Splinter put himself at the very back. That way, the four turtles were between us, so we could make sure they don't get lost or run of.

_Back to the split tunnels though. We still weren't sure which way to go. Perhaps it was time for my lucky coin?_

_And yes, I have a lucky coin. I've had it with me for years now! It always gives me good luck when I'm trying to make a decision. _

Stopping at the two tunnels, I reached my hand into my pocket to dig out my lucky coin. "Shall we flip a coin?" I asked holding it up for him to see.

Splinter rubbed his chin. "Not usually my way of making decisions, but I see no other way to decide. Very well." He nodded.

Below us, the four turtles sat down on the ground to rest, staring up at the two of us.

I grinned. "Alright. So tails is left, heads it right." I concluded, rolling the coin up to my thumbs. With a good flick of my wrist and thumb, the coin was shot into the air, spinning wildly.

Almost hitting the top of the tunnel gravity began to work its magic and the coin fell back to the ground, landing in my palm. With a quick motion I smacked the coin onto the back of my other hand, covering it so that I couldn't see what it was.

Lifting my hands to Splinter, I slowly revealed the coin.

"Tails." We said together.

"It seems the left path is our choice." Splinter smiled.

"Seems so." Tucking the coin back into the safety of my pocket, I reached down to pick Michelangelo and Leonardo up into my arms. Neither of them protested and actually seemed quite pleased that they would no longer need to crawl.

Splinter could see that I wished to give the babies some time to rest, so without a second thought he picked Raphael and Donatello up, letting them rest in his arms.

Raphael, now free of walking, turned his attention to Donatello. With a small green hand he reached out, messing with his little brother by poking him insistently.

The younger turtle whined in protest, trying to smack his older brothers hand away.

"Now now." Splinter said, moving his arms apart to separate the two.

"Heh. Boys will be boys." I chuckled, bouncing the two babies in my arms a bit. Both of them giggled, clapping in joy.

"Yes, quite." Splinter shook his head with a sigh. Through the whole day Raphael had insisted on teasing and messing with his brothers. With his constant teasing he would constantly make his younger brothers, preferably Michelangelo, cry.

While Donatello often got side tracked with anything new he saw.

His curiosity was great, and often made the little turtle stop walking, making the whole group pause so that they wouldn't lose him.

The two babies I was holding on the other hand were a little different from their brothers.

Since Michelangelo was the youngest, he got tired more often, and would stop walking all together when he needed rest. This made the process of finding Splinter and them a new home rather slow.

Finally there was Leonardo. He was the easiest turtle to care for. He did not get as tired as quickly as his little brothers and, although he was as curious as the others, he would always stay close to Splinter and I.

He would often walk right behind me, like a chick following a mother hen. When I would stop walking, so would he. If I picked up speed, so would he.

If I jumped into the water and swam away… well, I'm sure he would try to follow me too.

Re-adjusting the two I rested them on my hips for better support, letting them look around. Continuing our walk, I glanced over my shoulder at Splinter.

It was odd traveling with him. Not for the obvious reason of him being a rat, I was sort of getting use to that, but because I barely knew him.

Sure, I learned a little of his past during our conversation before, but there was still so much of a mystery to him. For instance, I knew he had a wife once, but how had she passed? Had she been sick or in an accident?

_And no, I wouldn't be asking him that question any time soon. I've brought up enough painful stuff as it is for the poor guy. _

_Maybe though I should start with the basics?_

"So, Splinter?" I asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes Ms. Arinna?' Splinter smiled.

"Arinna is just fine." I chuckled back.

_It was weird being addressed for formally anyway. We're all pals here Splinter! Well… at least I hope we were pals. Don't want to be pushy. _

"I was just wondering if I could… ask you some questions? Just so we can get to know each other better." I explained, my smile growing nervous.

"Hmm, yes. A good conversation would be nice to pass the time." Splinter agreed, nodding his head for me to continue.

"Great!" I grinned. "Okay so… why did you choose New York of all places to move from after you left Japan?"

_Lets start out simple, shall we?_

Splinter thought for a moment before answering. "I am not sure how to completely answer that myself." He admitted. "I have read much about this city. Perhaps the main reason was simply to see Lady Liberty. After a few weeks of living here however, I became so attached to the city's life style, I couldn't find it within myself to part from it."

"Hah. I understand that." I agreed, grinning. "After living here for so long, I can't imagine myself living anywhere else."

_Sure, if I was offered to live someone where, some where more quite, I might. This town, although beautiful, could also be a very dark place. I had lived here for so long, I knew I could never leave it, no matter where I was offered to live. _

"Okay, next question. How did you learn to fight how you did?" my eyes beamed at the thought of the battle against those four suited men.

"Fight?" Splinter repeated, looking confused.

"Y'know, against those goons who attacked you before." I reminded him, turning around to walk backwards so I could face him.

_…Maybe not the best idea, now that I think about it. I was too excited to learn about Splinters fighting abilities to care. _

"Oh well… from my Father, just as he had learned from his Father before him." Splinter answered slowly, looking down at the two turtles in his arms.

"Are you a ninja?" I pushed.

_He had to be. He just HAD to be a ninja! Maybe a Samurai? Were people like that still around? I think so. Maybe he just knew really good karate? _

"Well, yes." Splinter mused.

_I KNEW IT! HAHAH!_

"That is so cool! Can you walk on walls or disappear into the shadows?" I grinned, mentally having a victory dance inside my brain.

"I wouldn't say I can 'walk' on walls." The older rat smirked, clearly amused by my interest in his abilities.

"Gosh that is wicked!" I jumped up and down a bit, turning to look back ahead of the tunnel before I ran into something. "I so knew you were a ninja." I grinned, cuddling Leonardo and Michelangelo close. "Okay, okay, so then, do you wear cool Ninja outfits? Or do you usually just always fight as self defense? Do you have a mortal enemy? I had a mortal enemy once. Though we were only in elementary school" I frowned at the memory of '_Nicole Kart"._

_That jerk. Always stealing my cookies when I wasn't looking. _

Splinter cleared his throat, as if to hold back a laugh. "My Tajitsu is only used in self defense, and should only ever be used in self defense. As for… mortal enemies; I do have one, yes." He voice grew dark.

Looking back at him, my eyes widened at the cold look that washed over his usually calm and caring face.

_Arinna, did we not just mentally discuss avoiding bringing up painful memories?_

_"_I see." My voice trailed off. I suddenly didn't feel too keen on asking any more questions.

As if sensing my hesitation, Splinter's tense shoulders relaxed. "It is alright Arinna. It is in the past. I doubt I will be seeing anyone from my old life anymore after this." He said softly.

If he was trying to comfort me, I didn't feel very comforted. It honestly just made me feel a bit worse. True, he would never have to see this 'arch enemy' of his again, but he would also never be able to see close friends or family again as well.

In ways, I blamed myself for what happened to Mr. Splinter. I should have done something more. I should have stepped in to help the moment I saw those four men attacking him.

I only sat there and watched, too shocked to move.

"I suppose so." I slowly agreed, looking to the path ahead.

The tunnel we were traveling on seemed to get small, the stream of sewer water growing small, almost disappearing all together as we continue forward.

Were did this tunnel lead to exactly?

It continued to grow small until Splinter had to slightly bend his head to avoid hitting the top of the ceiling.

"Maybe we should try another path?" I asked slowly. "This path might continue to get smaller."

"Perhaps you are correct." Splinter nodded, glancing up at the ceiling above.

With a small nod, we both turned to head back, when Michelangelo gurgled some noises, wiggling wildly in my arms.

Pausing, I watched him reach insistently down the path we were going, as if he saw something.  
"What is it, Michelangelo?" I asked, looking in the direction he was. Narrowing my eyes, I could feel a small breeze hitting my face. As if there was an open space or another tunnel just a little ahead. "Oh um… hold on a second Mr. Splinter." I called to him, making him halt. "I think there is something down there. I'm gonna check it out really quick." I announced.

"Be careful." He called a warning as I moved forward. The path grew narrow as I had to bend my back a bit so I could fit through. Moving forward carefully, I stopped at the sight of an opening.

_Well well, what do we have here?_

Looking out, I could see great walls of cement opening into a large path with metal lines lining the bottom.

"Subway tracks." I announced, sticking my head out to look both directions, checking to make sure no trains were speeding by.

_Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come through this way? The trains wouldn't stop if they saw a girl, giant rat, and four baby turtles walking by. _

"I would seem so." Splinter nodded, appearing behind me.

"AH!" I jumped at his sudden appearance.

_When did he get there?!_

"However, these tracks seemed to have been out of use for some time now." Splinter announced, motioning to the dust that covered the tracks.

_I hadn't noticed that. _

"O-Oh, okay_. S_o we should be safe crossing through here." I smiled nervously, still shocked from Splinter's ninja appearance. Moving forward, I lifted my legs out to hand out from the tunnel. Leonardo and Michelangelo clung to me tightly as I jumped to the floor below landing on the dirt. Splinter soon followed with Raphael and Donatello.

"There should be more tunnels leading to the sewers throughout this tunnel." Splinter announced, looking from left to right cautiously.

I nodded.

We moved in silence for the next five minutes until Splinter paused, Donatello wiggling wildly in his arms, whining.

"What is it little Kame (turtle)?' Splinter asked, hoping to sooth him. It seemed Raphael had gone a little too far in teasing his brother, causing Donatello to cry out.

I stared at the three over my shoulder, only a few feet ahead of them. "Maybe he will calm down with some food?" I asked, leaning down to place Michelangelo and Leonardo on the floor below me.

Leonardo looked up at me with a smile, holding onto my pant leg, so that he wouldn't get lost.

_He was such a well-behaved little baby. _

On the other hand, Michelangelo was too busy sucking on his thumb and playing with my shoelaces to really notice anything else going on.

"I have some worms, and a few pieces of pizza as well if you want some." I announced, reaching back into my pack to pull them out.

"Yes. Perhaps some food would be good for us all." Splinter agreed, lifting his tail up. With a good toss, I threw the pizza and jar of worms towards him.

Using his tail, he caught the box and worms with ease. For only recently being turned into a rat, he adapted _really _well.

Opening the jar, Splinter placed Raphael and Donatello on the ground, holding the jar in front of them so they could eat.

Though hesitant at first, their hunger got the best of them, and the two began to eat the worms without complaint.

Splinter, not wishing to eat worms as the two turtles were fine with, moved to the pizza.

Watching as the three eat, I looked down to Leonardo and Michelangelo, wondering if they too needed some food.

_Wait a minute…_

My eyes grew as wide as pancakes when I looked to my shoes to only find one turtle still there.

_Where had Leonardo gone?!_

Looking around wildly, I scanned the area. Without me noticing, the oldest of the four turtles had snuck pass me, crawling down the tunnel.

_So much for well-behaved! He just ran off. _

"Oh, wait for the rest of us Leonardo!" I called, scooping Michelangelo into my arms to run after the eldest of the turtles.

Splinter look up at me in surprise. He must not have been too worried, or assumed I could easily catch up with Leonardo, because there was no panic in his eyes.

I wasn't too worried either but… For a baby, Leonardo sure was fast as he crawled quickly around the corner.

_He was a really speedy baby!_

Following behind, I reached down to stop him. Stumbling over my feet, I squeaked in surprise, almost loosing my balance in the process.

Turning to my side, I landed on my knee, holding Michelangelo close.

Hoping to stop Leonardo from running off any further I reaching out my free hand, placing it on the back of his shell, pushing down on him gently to stop him. Feeling the pressure on his back, Leo whined in protest, trying to force himself forward.

"No… bad Leonardo. No running off." I scolded, pressing a bit more pressure on the back of his shell and forcing my hand back to drag him towards me.

Whimpering at the scolding he looked over his shoulder at me with teary eyes. With a small huff, I placed my hand under his shell, lifting him up. "Sorry little one. But I can't let you run off by yourself. You could get hurt." I explained with a frown, hoping he would forgive me.

Looking down, almost in guilt, the turtle stared up at me nervously, as if now just realizing his mistake. He smiled slowly, as if having forgiven me, and hoping I had forgiven him.

With a chuckle, I brought him close. "Alright. Now lets go back to Splin… ter…" I railed off as I lifted me head, getting a full view of the area around me.

In front of me was an old ticket booth, normally used to allow citizens access to the subway trains  
Rising to my feet, I cautiously approached the ticket booth, looking over the small metal boxes to look inside.

This must have been some sort of old subway station or something. Walking forward I lifted the two boys and myself over the ticket booth to get a better view.

_…Yup. This was it. This place was perfect!_

_It was abandoned, hadn't been touched in years, and most likely forgotten. It didn't lead any where near the working railway tracks, and there were no stairs leading to the surface anywhere near. _

_Mr. Splinter, I think we have found yourself a new home!_

"Mr. Splinter!" I called down the sewer line. "You must come see this. I think Leonardo here found you the perfect place to stay!" I grinned. Michelangelo and Leonardo seemed just excited as me, if not more, and began to wiggle in my arms.

Placing them on the floor, I patted their heads.

Intrigued by my call, Splinter lead Donatello and Raphael towards us. When he turned the corner, his eyes widened at the abandoned subway station that had never been finished.

"I've heard of places like this." I explained. "They build the station before they move the tracks down here, but they never finished building this place. Which would explain why the train tracks aren't connected to the full rail way system and why there are no stairs leading up to the surface."

"I see." Splinter smiled. "Yes, this shall do quite nicely. Thank you Ms. Arinna."

"It wasn't me." I chuckled. "Little Leonardo here found this place." Looking down, I smiled at Leo, who was trying to chew on my shoe. Reaching down, I patted his head. "Good job Leonardo." I praised.

Leo's eyes praticaly sparkled at the praise, grinning up at me.

_After that, it took only a few hours for everyone to get settled in. Splinter and I had moved a lot of the old equipment that had no use at the moment to the sides of the many rooms. _

_I was actually quite surprised to find so many different rooms within this place. While Splinter took one for himself, I got the other set up for the boys. _

_It wasn't much, but I at least was able to make them all different little spots that they could call their own. There was still the trouble of finding them something to sleep on. I doubt this place had spare pillows lying around. _

So while the four little turtles played in the center of the main room, I consulted,_ heh consulted, what a fancy word, _with Splinter on what actions to take next.

"It seems that we are going to require a few supplies." Splinter sighed.  
"Were would you get them though?" I blinked, tilting my head.  
"The surface." He answered quickly.

"Wha-but… how?" I stammered, shocked at his suggestion. "You can't go up there. What if someone see's you?"

That made him pause. Frowning, he rubbed his chin. "I will have to wait for nightfall to get the supplies we need. I will use the shadows to hide my presence."

"Are you sure?" I titled my head.

"Yes." Splinter nodded.

I frowned, not sure if this was a good idea. Splinter lived as a normal citizen till now. Would he really be able to find everything they would need without being seen? Did he even know where to look?

With a heavy and hesitant heart, I nodded. "Okay. I guess… I'll look after the boys till you return." I knew he would need someone to watch them, and bringing them with him would only slow him down, and may very well reveal his presence.

"You have done so much already, I ask for forgiveness in asking you for more." Splinter apologized with a bow.

"No, it is alright." I insisted. "I don't mind anyway. I like playing with them." I glanced at the four with a smile.

With a nod, Splinter scratched at his arm. As if realizing something, he snapped his hands back at his sides, clearing his throat.

I blinked. "…You okay?"

Looking at me, Splinter actually… avoided eye contact?

"I feel… odd." Splinter admitted. "I am so used to wearing cloths, yet now as a rat, I suppose they are not required." He looked to his hands, frowning.

_I'm not sure what brought me to say this, perhaps his lost look, but I said it._

"…I can go…" I announced. Splinter looked at me. "I can go… get you some cloths. And I can get you all supplies while I am up there."

"You?" he blinked. "Ms. Arinna-"

"I insist." I cut him off, "I mean, although you can't go to the surface in broad daylight, I can. I can go up, snatch a few bits of clothing and other supplies in the dump or somewhere, clean them up, then bring them back here." I announced.

Dumbfounded, Splinter blinked at me.

_Heh. I guess I surprised him. Well Mr. Splinter, I'm full of surprises! I even surprise myself, like… all the time. Really, all the time, I'm not joking. I surprised myself with my own suggestion just now. _

"Besides," I twirled once, turning to him to strike an odd pose. "I'm a street rat. Sneaking around and looking through dumpsters… it's the only thing I'm good at." I grinned.

**And we done.  
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ**

**I have Two things that need to be said. **

**1) I haven't recently put up a new poll on my profile. I beg you to please look at it! I will continue to make this fanfic based off of the 2012-13 TMNT series, but I would also like to start brain storming making fanfic's on other TMNT series'/movies. **

**My other fanfics will also involve Arinna, but I was going to give my reviewers the decision on what TMNT series/movie I should base my next fanfic on. Such as "Would you want to see a fanfic on the TMNT 2007 movie with Arinna in it? Or would you rather me make a fanfic based off the un-animated 1990 movie with Arinna in it?" The poll is like that :D**

**2) I recently got a request from GC4life asking if she could borrow my character "Arinna' for her own Fanfic! :D I'm super pumped and said yes. It is like a Super Fanfic! It is sort of a mix between my fanfic (The one you are on now) and her own fanfic called "Fallen" (Which is based off the idea of the turtles having a 5****th**** brother called Giotto). I really suggest you all look at it. Though the chapters are short for now, Gc4life has promised to make them longer later on. **

**Plus, there is more turtle cuteness and motherly love! Who doesn't adore that? XD **

**The story, if you are interested, is called "Fallen, Father, Mother, and five little babies"**

**I would also suggest checking out GC4life's original story 'Fallen'. **


	7. Dump Diving Adventure

**_Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews. I'm about to head off to Water world, so I'll this quick. _**

**_I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. As requested, I put Arinna's back-story into it all. _**

**_Ps. At some point, I asked my sister to be the one to finish this chapter up and post it. So if you see a different writing style at some point in this, it is her writing. _**

**_She might also leave a message somewhere just so you now -_-_**

**_I wanted to post this today, but I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it once I go to Water World because I'll be to tired. So I requested my sister to do it for me._**

**_Well, Bye bye!_**

_Plastic cup?  
Nope._

_Broken TV?_

_Nope._

_Old blanket?  
Yes._

_You know, going through the dump isn't that bad. You actually find a lot of cool stuff in there. The only problem is getting all the stuff you find out. _

_Fore instance, an old blanket that is in rather good shape. _

Chuckling triumphantly I turned the blanket around to examine the other side. Something small with multiple legs came into view.

It stood menacingly in the center of the blanket, daring any poor fool to stand against it.

Frozen in place, we stared at each other in an intense mental combat.

_A spider._

_I was on this creatures turf with no way of escaping. I had to be strong. The little babies depended on me! If I didn't safely retrieve this blanket, they would be shivering all night. _

So, with a deep breath, I narrowed my eyes, ready to attack.

_Okay Arinna, this is going to take skill, courage, and a well thought out plan. _

_"_….AHHH! Get off! Get off! Get off!" a shrill cry escaped me as I shook the blanket wildly.

_Yup. I'm that good. Be jealous. _

With a good flick, I sent the spider flying, shooting towards some cans.

_"_Hah!" I laughed, pointing to the pile. "Can't scare me, stupid spider." An eerie '_CrEeK' _stopped my boasting long enough for me to notice one of the large piles of trash tipping over. "Oh wait no no-!" I screamed a little too late as the pile fell down on me.

With a cry of agony, I couldn't help but feel that Spider was laughing at me now. Most likely thinking, '_Karma for stealing my home!"_

_Well shut up you stupid Spider! I completely intended for that to happen!_

Pushing upward, I forced a few boxes off of me, giving me enough room to crawl out of the mess. Whipping my brow, I glanced back at the pile with distaste. At least there was one good thing that came from the whole endeavor.

I could use these boxes to help carry back some of the supplies. With that happy thought, I reached for a medium sized box, stuffing the blanket inside.

With a nod, I moved to get up when one box in particular caught my interest.

"Oh? What is this?" I mumbled, pulling the box towards me. It was still tapped up, most likely having never been opened. Titling my head, I reached into my pocket to pull out a pocketknife I had found towards the beginning of my **Dump Diving Adventure.**

_Yes, I've named this my __**Dump Diving Adventure.**_

Cutting the tape, I ripped the box open, frowning at what could possibly be inside: when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a few shirts… and eight tiny reindeer.

_... Hmm, yeah that was lame. I should wait till it was closer to Christmas for those sorts of jokes. Oh well, too late to take it back. _

_Oh, but wait…_

Digging through the box, I blinked when I pulled out a robe looking sort of thing. It was super long, Auburn colored, and folded around itself like a robe.

Would Splinter want a robe? It definitely wasn't a bathrobe… it seemed more like a kimono. Well, Splinter said he was from Japan, so he might have worn a kimono before. Plus, he was a big guy… Rat, so this should fit him.

With a smile, I folded the robe back up and stuffed it back in the box. Placing it on the box I had before, I picked them both up and continued my search.

It was odd. I had gone through the dumps many times before, but this time just seemed… different. Maybe it was because I wasn't just looking for things to help myself to survive. I was looking for things to help other survive.

It was a nice feeling to help others. To have others need you and be grateful for you.

With a bright smile on my face, I skipped through out the garbage, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might be of us to me.

I had only been in the dump for at least an hour before the two boxes I was carrying were filled to the brim. The load was starting to get heavy as well and I had a ways to go before I would reach Splinter and the boys.

I could always come back later anyway. This dump wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

_So, good day to you dump! Thank you for you generous donations to the __**Turtle Tots Society**__!_

_Oh, I liked that! The '__**Turtle Tots Society" **__It had a nice ring to it, if I do say so myself. _

**(Sup, I'm the sister. The author of this story had decided to be a butt and leave me to finish this up while she is off gallivanting in the sunny wonders of water world. You should all yell at her for pushing her stuff on poor innocent me.)**

With a grin I turned on my heel and began to walk out of the dump.

"Oh I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, dodododo," I sang happily. "There they all are standing in a row! Big ones small ones some the size of your head!"

_You gotta love Disney songs. _

When I was little my brother and I had a Disney marathon every weekend. Those were some of my best memories with him.

With one final twirl (which was a bad idea. I almost lost the boxes when I tripped) I waved wildly to the dump and skipped all the way back.

_Life was good. It wasn't perfect, but it was good._

-000-

Pushing myself through the ticket booth, I peeked out from behind the boxes to stare around. Seeing no one, I frowned.  
"Uh… hello?' I called awkwardly.

Something shuffled a bit in the other room and hesitantly peeked out. I blinked to see Splinter staring at me, relived to find it was I and not someone else.

"Oh, Ms. Arinna. Forgive me, I thought you might be someone else." He apologized.

"Nah, it's fine." I shrugged. "Where are the boys?"  
"The little ones are resting." Splinter announced, gently closing the door behind him, making sure not to make any noise.

With a nod, I moved to the center of the room, where I placed the boxes down. "So, I found a bunch of great stuff for you to use." I began, opening the first box.

Splinter approached the box, smiling. "You seem very good at this."

"Years of experience." I smirked. Sitting down, I began to take out the box's content. "I got a few blankets, some old pillows, a couple cans of food for you, an old first aid kit, a couple knives… though, I'm not sure what you would use them for. Maybe self defense, I dunno." I shrugged, placing the items on the ground.

"I see." Splinter nodded, lifting the knives up to examine them.

"Oh hey, I found this. It looks completely new too, I don't think the guy who threw it away knew what he was losing." I chuckled, lifting the box with the robe up to him.

Taking it carefully, Splinter titled his head at the kimono like robe.

_What if he doesn't like it? I mean, I don't think I would want to wear a kimono all the time. Then again, that's just me._

"This… this is perfect Ms. Arinna." He smiled.

_Oh thank goodness he likes it!_

"Really? Awesome!" I almost sighed with relief, but held myself back.

"Thank you very much Ms. Arinna. You have already helped us in so many ways I am not sure how I will ever repay you." Splinter said genuinely, looking up from the box.

"Aww, it was nothing, really. I'm just glad I could help." I placed a hand on his shoulder with a warm smile.

"Where shall you go from here Ms. Arinna? Back to your family?" Splinter inquired after a few seconds, glancing at me.

"Oh… um… no, not really." I shrugged. "I don't really… live with my family. I actually don't have one." I admitted slowly. Splinter's eyes widened and he bowed his head in apology.

"I apologize for bringing up painful memories." He said softly.

"Oh no… don't be. You didn't know." I said quickly. "I've been living on my own since I was 13 anyway." I hadn't even realized just how fast time had gone by. I was already 18 years old since my dad had left.

"13? Why at such a young age?" Splinter sounded shocked.

I frowned. No one had really ever bothered to ask me of my past. I admit to being a little hesitant about sharing it_. But Splinter had already told me his past, as sad as it was for him, so it was only fair_.

"My mom disappeared when I was only 10. No one knows where she went, she just… vanished out of thin air." I started to explain. "Then my dad didn't really care much for me. It seemed he would get arrested every other week. At some point, he got in some real trouble. Got put in jail for 3 years."

"When he was released you did not return to him?" Splinter asked.

"No." I scowled, which I rarely did. _I mean that too. It actually hurt to scowl, no joke! _ "He didn't bother to look for me, and I was doing better on my own than with him. He wanted… he wanted me to help him with some of his crimes. Help him deliver drugs and other things. I wouldn't help him, so he had no use for me."

_My dad cared for me once. Then my mom disappeared and everything changed. He showed his dark side, a side I wanted to part of._

"And you have been living on your own ever since?"

"After my dad was arrested I was with my older brother. He was my legal guardian until I turned 16. After I turned 16 though, we went separate ways. It happened right after my dad was let out." I rubbed the back of my head.

There was so much to say to him. I wasn't sure if I was ready to start talking about all of my past. Maybe it would be best if I just think it all through?

_My Brother for instance. His name was Vincent. After what happened with my parents, he was the only family I had left. He was everything to me. He was there to protect me, raise me, and help me smile. He taught me everything I knew on self-defense, even if it was just a little, and how to survive on the streets. _

_Then two years ago, after my dad was let out, my brother said he had some work to do. He was always getting into fights and tangled together with gangs. _

_Don't get the wrong idea though! My brother wasn't apart of gangs. He was more of a vigilante who got involved with things… that almost got him killed. _

_The night he disappeared, my brother heard of some trouble happening and told me to stay home. He went to go check it out, and never came back. He completely disappeared, just as my mom did. The police assumed he had been killed, or just took off somewhere, unable to support me. _

_I never believed that. I knew something happened to my brother that night that stopped him from coming home. He wouldn't abandon me. _

"…I'm sorry. I must have been hard for you." Splinter frowned, seeing my silence.

I smiled a bit. "It's not so bad being a street rat… uh, no offense." I said quickly.

"None taken." He smiled back.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not proud of some of the things I do. I try not to do it often, but I have to pickpockets from time to time to get food." I looked down in guilt. "When I can though, I go through the city dump. You would be amazed at the kind of stuff people throw out. I almost got caught a few times though. I'm not the most stealthiest person in the world. I'm sure if I was, I wouldn't have to pickpocket as much." I sighed in defeat, leaning my head back to stare at the ceiling.

Before I realized it, I had begun to ramble. Telling Splinter everything and anything. Any feeling I had cooped up inside of me all these years.

Splinter didn't mind, and shared some of his own as well. He talked of how he met his wife, their marriage, and her death.

It must have been only recent that it occurred, for he would pause when he brought up the subject. When I told him he didn't have to push himself, he insisted, saying it was only fair.

He talked of his his enemy, Oroku Saki. Also known to some, as _The Shredder. _

"The Shredder?" it was an odd name to have, but it gave me a bad feeling.

"Yes."

It really was a weird name, but Splinter didn't find it ridiculous. His eyes were dark at any mention of his archenemy.

Luckily we didn't stay on the topic of 'The Shredder' long, and moved onto other things. Such as, why wasn't I put into foster care after my brother disappeared?

_Yeah okay, I would have preferred to stick with something else, but it was a decent question that I would probably ask as well. _

"…Well, they did put me into Foster care." I said slowly, looking towards the ground. "I just didn't… stay in it."

Splinter looked puzzled. "Why?"

"I didn't… want to stay in the Foster home. Not that it was overly bad or anything, I mean, there were a lot of nice people in there."

_And a bunch of not so nice people too._

_"_I had a goal and a dream I wanted to follow though, and staying in that place would stop me from accomplishing them."

"What was your goal?" Splinter inquired.

I gave him a weak smile. "I wanted to find my brother. Even though everyone was saying it was hopeless, I knew he was out there, somewhere."

_It took me a while to get out of that place too. There was the whole, who should all the possessions go to, where should the girl go, and a whole bunch of other legal stuff. Since I had no other family I was put into a Foster home, while my brothers possessions were handed down to me. I put them all into storage though… for when he came back. _

_After that I focused on getting out of the Foster Home. It wasn't too hard, and I was easily able to get out. The only problem was trying to get information on your brother while the police and other Child Protection agencies were out looking for you. _

_So I had to stay low until everything cooled down. By the time I turned 17 I was no longer a main source of concern, though they still kept an eye out, and was able to look around freely. My brother's trail had gone cold. _

_It had been too long and almost all info on him was fading. The last place any one had seen him was near the harbor. _

_After that, nothing._

_I had spent a whole year trying to get information of my brother. Some times I considered looking out of the city, but could never bring myself to leave. _

_Sure, my brother could have left New York City, but even if he did, where? I could search all the country and never find a single clue as to where he was. _

_He knew I was in New York, so if I stayed here, he would eventually come back… right? That is what I hoped. And even if that idea was stupid, I didn't know what else to do. I was only 18. _

"I know he'll come back one day… I know it." I whispered, pulling my knees close to my chest.

Splinter stared at me, slowly looking off towards the boxes. In the awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

"Well… shall we continue through the boxes?"  
Glancing at them dully, I nodded. "Yeah." I reached out, grabbing the one I was going through before. "I brought some shirts for the turtles. Though, I'm not sure they will like them. They might not fit either, so I'll have to find something else to use them for." I shrugged, holding them up. There were at least four shirts, all of different colors. There was a blue shirt, a red shirt, a purple and an orange. Folding them back up, I placed them behind me, leaving them for another time. "Anyway though, I got you a tooth brush, still in the box, so no need to worry." I held it up with a smirk. "Still need to find some tooth paste though." I grumbled as I rummaged through the box. "Got some old soap, a few jackets, they are a little big though." I held one up with a puzzled frown.

Splinter cleared his throat to catch my attention. When I looked at him, he smirked, pointing behind me.

Following his finger, my eyes widened at the sight of the four little turtle tots all sitting behind me, staring at me back with wide, innocent eyes.

"Oh!" I gasped, only now realizing that they were there.

_Wait a minute, how long had they been sitting there?!_

"I didn't see you little guys there." I chuckled, reaching out to pet Leonardo's head. He grinned happily, rubbing his head against my head, wanting more attention.

"It took quite some time to get them to rest without you there." Splinter announced with a small sigh, recalling the event with a sour face.

I smirked at him, lifting Michelangelo into my arms. Instantly relaxing into my arms, he reached up to suck his thumb.

_Thumb? Well, he only had three fingers, so was that his thumb? I'm sure one is his thumb, another is his pinky and the one in the middle… is of course, the middle finger. Aww, no ring finger for you guys. Though I doubt you would ever get married. _

_…Wow, hold the phone Arinna. What if they got married? _

_Well that is dumb, who would they possibly get married too? I'm sure they could find love one day, sure. Most likely with another turtle… or something. _

_Hmm… I don't actually know. If they continued to grow, it might be hard for them to get together with other turtles. Aww, no love for them. That's sad :(_

_Well, I could love them. _

I almost chocked at my own suggest. Quickly catching it and pretending I was just clearing my throat, I stared down at Michelangelo with wide eyes. His Baby blue orbs caught with my own, and he smiled.

To my right, Raphael and Donatello were wrestling together. Raphael mainly winning the battle.

And finally Leonardo had crawled over to Splinter, happily sitting in his lap, watching his brothers.

_… Could I love them? Would that be all right? Would it be all right with me? Could I even handle that?_

_Wait a minute, handle what? What would I be handling? _

_Raising them._

_That's… a really big responsibility. Raising four little babies, without any warning at all. That… that was too much! I couldn't do that!_

"Ms. Arinna. Are you alright, you look a little pale." Splinter asked, he voice growing with concern.

"O-Oh um… yeah." I stammered. "Just… lost in though I guess."

"This is all a lot to take in, I understand." Splinter nodded, looking down at Leonardo, who was staring up at him obediently.

"No joke." I mumbled under my breath. "I guess though I was just… wondering what would happen from here?"

"From here?" Splinter inquired, looking up at me.

"Well yeah. What do we do now? I know you are going to keep these little guys down here, so no one can find them but… What… um, that is to say… what should…"

"What should, you do?" Splinter finished for me, seeing as I was having trouble finding my words.

"Yeah." I dipped my head, focusing on Michelangelo. He was still sucking on his thumb, but had started to mess with my shirtsleeve with his other hand.

Smiling a tad, I petted his hand. He cooed at the gesture.

_Where will I go from here? Back to that abandoned house, forgetting any of this ever happened? _

_Maybe I could come visit or something? _

Placing Michelangelo back on the ground, much to his disagreement, I rose to my feet. The four turtles paused to look at me, tilting their head as if to ask, '_Hey lady, where you going_?"

"I think maybe… I should just uh… head out." I announced awkwardly. "You seem to have this all… under control." I motioned to the room, clapping my hands together as if to end it all. "Yeah…"

Gazing up at me, Splinter closed his eyes, smiling. He said nothing at first, leaving both of us in silence.

_Did he want me to leave? Or was he waiting for me to ask something? Maybe he wants to say something, but he's thinking how to say it? He hasn't really say good-bye or anything and I- _

"Mr. Arinna." Splinter's voice caught me off guard, and I jumped. "I can never truly repay you for what you have done here today." The older rat began. "The only thing I can offer, is a room, and a few blankets."

"…What?"

"You are welcome to stay here." He announced with a smile.

"Eh?" my eyes widened.

"We have all grown quite accustomed to you visiting Ms. Arinna." Splinter smiled, looking to the little turtles that had surrounded my feet. Leonardo, who had crawled back over to me at some point, pulled on my pant leg, wishing for some attention while Donatello and Michelangelo were distracted with the strings on my shoes.

Raphael stared up at my blankly, before he suddenly pouted, grabbing my other pant leg, also wishing for attention.

Kneeling down, I placed a hand on Leo and Raph's heads, smiling brightly at the four of them. I_ couldn't never leave them. They had all jumped right into my heart._

_Was Splinter serious? Could I stay here? I mean, never in my life had I considered living in the sewers, but I had already begun to get use to the smell!_

_If I stayed I wouldn't have to leave the four little turtles. Splinter wouldn't have to care or go through this change all by himself too! _

_I would… I would be raising them. _

_That made me hesitant. _

_What if I messed up? What if I taught them all the wrong things or… or accidentally kill them by sending them off un-prepared!?_

_"_I…" I trailed off, looking to the boys.

_Oh… what the hell. Or um… Shell. Hehe, turtle joke. _

With a meek and nervous nod, I grinned. "Yes. Yes I'd like that very much!"


	8. Mission Impossible: Splinter addition

**_I"m back! Sorry, I really planned to put this chapter out a few days ago, but some stuff happened and I got caught up in a bunch of Drama. Luckily, I was able to escape it all today and work on the chapter! YAY! :D Hope you all like it!_**

_Am I a thief? Does this count as stealing?_

_No, it couldn't be. I'm not actually taking all this stuff to sell later or keep for myself. I'm just sneaking inside, taking everything without anyone noticing, and just giving it all to the person it truly belongs to._

_So yeah, not stealing. _

_Oh wait, how long have you been there? Few minutes? Um… okay then, yeah, give a girl a warning will ya? I mean, you all just appeared out of nowhere! Hey wait a minute… aren't you all the people who were here a couple days ago when I was telling that story about how I met Splinter?_

_You are? Oh, hi then! Welcome back. _

_My name is Arinna. _

_Streets Rat, young adult, and as of recently, I am the new caretaker of five. _

_One being a giant Rat man named Hamato Yoshi and the other four being the cutest little turtle babies ever!_

_Confused as to how this occurred? Well go back and ready the other seven chapters you skippers! It's rude to just skim through someone's life story when they are telling it. _

_Though, it's not exactly my whole life story. I've skipped quite a few details that I'd rather… not get into any time soon. However, this part of my life, I think all should now. _

_It's a story about how four little heroes were raised, trained, and brought into this world._

_We've already explained how they were brought into this world, but I believe now it is time I tell you the other two parts. _

_Now, I shall continue this story… just as soon as I can figure out how in the world I was going to get a mattress into the sewers! _

One of the basic rules a child learns when messing with shapes; is that if it is a circle shape, then only circle things can go through them. So this means, since this manhole into the sewers was a circle shape, only things smaller or circle shaped things could go through it. Sadly, this mattress was not small nor a circle. It was a rectangle_. _

_So how was I going to get this thing down there? _

_Now, I could bore you with the long and painful details of how I managed to get that stupid mattress into the sewers, but I bet you are all wondering, why exactly I am doing this? _

_So, to skip any reminder of the pain and suffering I went through that night, I'm going to save myself the embarrassment and skip it, and instead explain everything else. _

_You see, since my new friend Splinter got changed into a Rat, he would no longer be living in the apartment he was staying at. He also could not simply retrieve his belongings for obvious reasons._

_So, before anyone could truly realize he was gone, he gave me his house key and asked me to bring his stuff to him. _

_Not that big of a problem._

_I collected a few boxes, took Splinter's house key, and was off for my third adventure/ mission._

_I call this one: __**Mission impossible; Splinter addition!**_

_It was definitely easier then when I went on my__** Dump Diving **__Adventure. Splinter didn't have many belongings anyway. _

_Well, at least not normal belongings. There was a mattress in the apartment, but he never used it. Instead he would sleep on this weird mat… or, futon-thingy. Basically he was sleeping on the floor. _

_So futon, piece of cake. Actual mattress, which I would gladly be using, not so much. _

Then there were some pictures, a few other things such as kitchen utensils, a couple extra blankets and some pillows_. _

_The last part I had to collect was what was inside the closet. All the cloths in there he could no longer wear fore they were too small, however, that is not what he wished for me to collect for him. _

_No, he wished for me to collect what laid on the floors and sides of the closest. _

_And what is in this magical closet? … Well, they were weapons. Real, very dangerous, extremely sharp weapons. I felt like I was being stabbed just looking at them! I heard that a katana, just poking it, could cut off your whole finger! I didn't want to touch that! I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly have the stabalist of hands. _

_I mean, just try picturing yourself walking towards a closet. It seems normal, painted brown, and had a little handle. You pull it open, expecting to see cloths. You only see a few, and then you look down and all you see are dozens and dozens on weapons!_

_I admit my first thought was, 'Terrorist'. I know Splinter isn't, but it still made me concerned I mean… I know Splinter is a ninja, but come on! Does he really need this many?! I'm not even sure if he is allowed to have all of these_!

_I had to get these weapons for Splinter though._

So, swallowing my fear, I opened the box I had brought with my, and began to place the weapons inside. The first weapons I grabbed came as I pair. I wasn't completely familiar with them though.

I believe they were called Sai blades.

Holding them in my hands, I examined them curiously. Shrugging, I gently placed them in the box. Moving on, I pulled out a pair of nun-chucks.

_Oh! Now these I was familiar with. My brother had some on these when he was younger. He would always run around and hit the walls or his bed with them. Not to mention, he would always hit his head with them. _

Giving on a little twirl, I chuckled and placed them in the box. When I looked back at the closest something wooden caught my eyes. Lifting it out, I was surprised to see it was a large stick, like a staff.

Knowing that certainly wouldn't fit in the box, I placed it to the side.

_Well Mr. Stick, nice to know there are at least some weapons in here that wont chop of my foot if I accidentally drop it._

Reaching back inside, I blinked when my hand met with a handle. Pulling it out carefully, my eyes widened to see it was on of the many Katanas.

Almost spazzing out in surprise, I forced my self to freeze, staring at the blade, _note: the dangerous blade_, in my hand.

It was rather light. I almost felt tempted to take the blade out of the sheath, just so I could examine it.

Maybe I could ask Splinter to do that later. Placing the Katana next to the staff.

_"_There you go Mr. Staff. A nice little sword for you to chat with. You two play nice now!" I cooed.

_…Wait a minute; am I talking to a Staff and sword? I think that sewer water is starting to affect my mind! _

_…Oh well._

Pulling out a wooden black box, I opened it to examine what was inside.

My eyes widened at the sight of one of those Japanese fans inside. Lifting it up, I slowly opened it to examine it.

After closer analysis, I could see that this wasn't a normal paper fan. It was made of sheer metal, and could easily cut through any surface if thrown at.

It was pure black, the tip being white with a few flowers decorating the surface. It was beautiful.

Holding in gently I flipped it over to examine the back. I doubt this was used as a simple fan, and was most likely a weapon. It made me wonder if it had ever seen battle before.

After that, I found many weapons within the room. Most fit in the box, but there were many I had place on top or attach to my backpack.

When I had all I could carry I would go back to Splinter, then come back to grab the rest. It didn't take long to get everything, and the longest part of it all was just a mattress.

On my last trip, which was mainly for the weapons, I paused by his dresser. I had missed a picture.

How I had managed that, I'm not sure, but I missed one. It was a good thing I noticed it before I left.

Placing the box down, I moved to grab it, pausing to examine it.

This picture in particular really stood out from the others I had seen. It was in black and white, and had three people in it. To the left was a stone-faced man, dressed in a Japanese komodo. His jaw was set and his eyes were serious.

_This must have been Splinter before he was changed. _

Next to him was a beautiful woman with raven black hair, and snow-white skin. I was almost tempted to call her 'Snow White' but felt it was a little inappropriate. Neither of the two were smiling, but I could see the happiness in their eyes.

_This must have been his wife that passed away._

Then I realized something. There was a baby in the photo as well. The baby was in the women's arms, almost smiling happily at the camera.

Splinter didn't mention a child. Was this possibly his child?

I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. If this was Splinter's baby, then what happened to them? Had they… suffered the same fate as his wife?

I suppose the only way I would ever find out is asking.

-000-  
"I'm back!" I announced, walking towards the entrance to my new found home. Moving to step inside, I squeaked when I found that I couldn't move. Looking over my shoulder, I pouted at the sight of the Bo Staff I had tied to my bag. The Bo staff had gotten caught between the little path I was trying to push through, stopping me in the process.

Pulling a bit, I sighed to find that the staff wouldn't budge.

_No! Bad Mr. Staff, bad! Why are you being mean to me!? I've done nothing to you! NOTHING!_

"Splinter!" I called, moving my back wildly in attempts to free myself. I began to whine. "Splinter, please help!"

_It's because I mocked you for not being made of metal like the other weapons, isn't it? You can't blame me for how you were made! I'm just saying the truth! You're wood, that's that!_

Appearing from the other rooms, the turtles right behind him, Splinter blinked at the position I had ended up. "Are you… stuck?" he asked slowly, approaching me cautiously.

_Well… this was embarrassing. Curse you stick! How dare you make a fool of me!_

_"_…Yes." I sighed after a few moments.

Chuckling, Splinter moved to help me, pulling the Bo Staff out from where it was stuck. Finally free, I jumped forward, at long last out of my confinement.

"Freedom!" I cheered, lifting the box up in victory.

_In your face stick! Splinter denies you! Haha!_

_…Oh my gosh. Did I really just think all of that? I really was going insane. I was arguing and screaming with a stick! Well… I argued with a microwave when I was 10, so I guess I'm still as sane as I was before._

Splinter chuckled again, pulling me out of his thoughts as he moved to sit by the turtles, who were staring at me curiously as if to say, "_Lady, you are the weirdest person ever."_

Grinning, I lifted up the box fro Splinter to see. "Well, this should be the last of it." I announced, placing the box in the corner with everything else.

Looking up from the babies, Splinter smiled at me. "I can not thank you enough Arinna." He said honestly. Waving it off, I grinned.  
"No problem. It's what friends do." Moving to sit next to him, I allowed Raphael to crawl in my lap. Seeing that he was looking up at me, I stared back, patting his head.

"You had to make a few trips, I hope everything wasn't to heavy." He glanced at me.

"Oh no, not at all. There were just… a lot of things." I rubbed my chin. "Hey Splinter? So um, just answer me honestly, okay? I wont judge you any way you answer." I announced.

At my tone, Splinter looked at me, puzzled. "…Very well, what is your question." He said slowly.

"…You a terrorist?"

_Wow… if that wasn't blunt, I don't know what is. _

The shock on Splinter's face was priceless, and it actually took him a full minute to recover, struggling to completely understand what I just asked. "…What?" his voice was hoarse.

"It's okay if you are y'know." I said quickly. "Wait… not it's not. It's not okay if you are. But you know, _if _you are, I don't judge you. I just wanted to know."

Splinter stared at me, bewildered. "Why…" he cleared his throat. "Would you think I was a terrorist?"

I pointed to the boxes. "You have _a lot _of weapons." I stated.

Splinter glanced to the boxes, before sighing. "Yes. They were all my father's and mother's. Only a few of them were actually made or purchased by me. I apologize deeply if they gave you that assumption. I am not in anyway a terrorist though Arinna."

With a small sigh, I grinned. "Oh good. I was a little worried. I mean, I'm sure even if you were a terrorist, you wouldn't hurt me, or do anything like that. I just think, since we'll basically be living together, that I should know. So just checking."

Splinter nodded, most likely still dumfounded about how my mind processed things.

_Well, get use to it Splinter._

"Anyway, I hope the boys didn't cause too much trouble for you as well while I was gone."

Splinter slowly looked to the four, a smile pulling at his lips.. "Michelangelo has grown very fond of biting Leonardo's tail."

"Oh, Michelangelo, that isn't nice." I mused, hugging Raphael with one arm while I shook a finger at the youngest turtle.

The freckled turtle, not really understanding, rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. Rolling my eyes, I glanced towards Splinter, who was smiling warmly at his newfound family.

_His new family. _

Remembering what I had found back at his old apartment, I shifted Raphael's position a bit so I could reach into my jacket and pulled out the picture I had in my pocket. "Uh… Splinter?"  
"Hmm?" He didn't look at me.

_Well, can't back down now._

"I uh… found this at your apartment. Thought you would want it." I said cautiously, holding the picture out to him. Meeting my stare Splinter blinked at the picture, taking it carefully into his grip.

He stared at it for a long time, saying nothing.

I was worried I brought up painful memories for him. So many emotions flashed through his eyes that I couldn't read them all. After a few seconds, his eyes focused and a small, almost nostalgic, smile pulled at his lips. "Her name was Miwa."

"Eh?" I blinked.

"The child, her name was Miwa." Splinter explained. "She was my daughter. She would be almost a whole year old right now."

_…'She would' be almost a year old? Does that mean…_

"The day my wife passed, was also the day I lost her." The older Rat explained, his voice growing dark. "I was unable to protect either of them."

_Oh my gosh. Splinter… really had lost everything, didn't he?_

_"_I… I am so sorry." I didn't know what else to say. What could I say? This man had lost his home, his wife, his child, his humanity, and to top it all off, he could never return to the surface world!

_Life… really was cruel. _

"It is alright.' Splinter said slowly, his voice in a daze. "You did not know." Holding the picture out, the older Rat frowned, placing it on top of a box that was only a few feet away.

"… She is a beautiful baby." I said honestly, staring at Miwa's face.

"She was. She would have grown to be as beautiful as her mother, I'm sure of it." Splinter suddenly smiled. "Thank you for brining this picture to me."

We exchanged smiles, the mood oddly content. I couldn't understand how well Splinter was taking all of this. I'm sure he was dealing with everything inside, bottling up his pain for another time. Yet he kept a smile on his face for the babies and for me.

_He was a brave man… rat… person. You get the point!_

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Splinter looked to me, a twinkle of achievement in his eyes. "While you were gone, I finished your room."

_…My room?_ _I don't have a room. What'chu talking about Willis? Or uh… Splinter?_

"My… room?" I frowned, shacking my head, not understanding.

"Come, this way." Splinter mused, rising to his feet. Careful not to step on Leonardo, Donatello, of Michelangelo as his left, he motioned for me to follow.

Jumping to my feet, I kept Raphael in my arms as I moved to follow. "This way little ones." I called over my shoulder, catching the other three turtles attention. Grinning at me, the stumbled forward to follow.

Happy to see them following, I walked after Splinter all the way to the room he had appeared from when I first arrived. Motioning me inside, I gave him a questioning smile as I stepped forward.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight.

It was like a little bedroom. The mattress I had brought from Splinter's hold apartment was pushed against the wall with the fresh covers and blankets I had found on top. There was a small lamp connected to the wall, which made me wonder if electricity even ran through this place, and a sort of closet to the side.

Covering my mouth, I adjusted Raphael to rest against my hip. "Oh my gosh." I couldn't believe it.

_Was this… for me_?

Turning to Splinter, my expression most likely shock, I blinked. "Is this… for me? You… You did all this for me?"

Splinter smiled. "It is the least I can do, after everything you have done for me."

Gawking at him, I felt a grin pulling at my cheeks. It almost hurt how much I was smiling. "This… I can't even… Splinter! Thank you!" I dove towards him, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug, practically squishing Raphael between us. He whined in protest, kicking his legs in anger. "This is so wicked!" Pulling away, I ran to the bed. Jumping on top of it, I placed Raphael down on the pillow, letting him stare at it, confused.

The other three were quick to follow, crawling on top of the bed, which was still very low to the ground, so that they could join their brother. I had to pause from my celebrating to help Michelangelo on the bed, but besides that, everything was just… it was too perfect!  
It wasn't much, but this was the closest thing I had to my own room in years.

"I am glad to see you enjoy it." Splinter said from across the room. "I shall take my leave, and allow you to settle in." he moved to the doors.

_He was a really nice guy. It was sort of weird, and I'm not sure if I should be scolding myself for saying this, but out of everyone in the world who could have been turned into a giant rat, I'm glad it was Splinter. _

_Wait, yeah no, that sounded terrible. I shouldn't be happy he was turned into a rat. But… if he hadn't, I wouldn't be here now. _

_Life was sickly ironic. _

_"_Splinter." I called before he could fully exit the room. Barely looking over his shoulder to me, I smiled at him. "Thank you. To me… this means a lot."

Looking almost surprised, he turned his head, but I could tell he was smiling as he left. Watching the door for a few extra seconds, I felt a small hand on top of mine.

Leonardo was looking up at me with a smile, leaning forward to rest his head on my knees. "Hey Leonardo." I reached forward, scratching under his chin. Moving to lean into the touch, Leo giggled. Reaching down, I lifted him up, falling back on the bed to lift him up towards the ceiling.

"Whoosh!" I moved him a bit, making sound affects as I pretended he was some sort of plane. He joined along in the game happily, clapping his hands at every new sound affect I made.

_Leonardo, the super plane!_

His brothers looked up at Leo with wide eyes, Donatello first to approach. As I held Leonardo up, he climbed onto my stomach, sitting on it.  
Glancing at him, I blinked as he leaned back, falling on to his shell, so that he could sleep.  
"…You just gonna fall asleep on my stomach?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't reply. Lifting his hand up, Donnie closed his eyes and sucked on his thumb.

_Aww, cute!_

At my sides, Mikey and Raph moved, practically collapsing next to me. They both rubbed their faces against my shirt affectionately for a few minutes before settling down, ready for their naptime.

Slowly lowering my arms to bring Leo to a soft decent, he reached his arms out, hugging me around the neck. His hide his face in the crook of my neck, refusing to let ago, very content with falling asleep right there and then.

_Aww, I wish I had a camera. This is so precious!_

_…Hey, wait a minute. Now I can't get up! Aww, but I'm not tired! Curse you baby adorableness, you win again! _

_"_Oh well." Sighed contently, closing my eyes. Whether I fell asleep or not, I didn't care. I could stay like this forever.

**And, we're done!  
REMINDER: **** I haven't recently put up a new poll on my profile. I beg you to please look at it! I will continue to make this fanfic based off of the 2012-13 TMNT series, but I would also like to start brain storming making fanfic's on other TMNT series'/movies. **

**My other fanfics will also involve Arinna, but I was going to give my reviewers the decision on what TMNT series/movie I should base my next fanfic on. Such as "Would you want to see a fanfic on the TMNT 2007 movie with Arinna in it? Or would you rather me make a fanfic based off the un-animated 1990 movie with Arinna in it?" The poll is like that :D**


	9. Splish Splash I was fixing the fuse box!

**_Hey guys! I'm back! Any of you know how to fix a fuse box? 0.0 Okay, yeah no, scratch that question. I'll figure it out... hopefully. XD_**

_Oh what the- you again? You following me around or somethin'? Or maybe, you just like to hear stories about cute little baby turtles?_

_Well, I don't blame you. I mean, who doesn't want to hear about cute little turtles?! They are so cute! As the words 'cute little turtles' clearly implies. _

_Anyway though, perhaps I should clue you in on what's going on. At least, what has happened the past few days. I'm not going back to explain how I met a giant rat, became the guardian of four little turtles, or why I am currently living in the sewers. _

_You can go back and read the last few chapters for that. _

_If you already have, perfect! Recently, I've really begun working on fixing this old Subway terminal up. Adding some furniture, getting the electricity to work (That was a bit of a doozy, but I managed), and just cleaning the place._

_What? You want to know what happened with the electricity? Um… well, it's sort of… embarrassing really. You probably wouldn't want to hear it. Hehe. _

_…You still want to hear it? You… you still do? Really? Seriously? You're not joking? Absolutely nothing will take your mind off of it until I tell you? Well, okay Mr. or Ms. or even Mrs. Pushy, I'll tell you. _

"Arinna, are you certain you don't require assistance?" Splinter looked down at me as I fumbled over the circuit board.

"Of course Splinter, just leave this to me." I waved him off casually. "I've seen my bro does this a few times."

"Watching someone preform a deed and then actually doing the deed are two very different things." Splinter warned softly, using his tail to make sure the turtles stayed at a distance from the wires and screws I was messing with.

"Not for me it isn't." I grumbled.

Hearing me mumble to myself, Splinter raised a burry eyebrow, wondering what I meant.

_What I meant is a story for another time after all. _

Focusing back on the circuit-breaker box in front of me, I smirked at the sight of the fuse I had been looking for. Just as I had suspected, one of the fuses was busted.

Glad the whole circuit board was already off; I removed the fuse with ease and reached into my bag to pull out a few similar ones.

"You keep spare fuses with you?" Splinter gawked at me.

"What? No, don't be silly. Found them."

Splinter frowned at me suspiciously, as if sensing something deeper within my words. Glancing at him, I blinked, holding my hands up. "What? I did!"

Rubbing his chin, Splinter nodded, allowing me to continue.

_I had found the fuse... in an electrical store when no one was looking. _

_Hey, don't judge. It wasn't stealing… obviously I just continentally found it just sitting there. _

Placing the new fuse in, I prayed that it didn't have higher amperage then the previous one.

"Okay, that should do it." I nodded. "Here we go!" I grabbed the switch, turning it on. In only seconds, the lights within the subway terminal began to turn on. They were dim, but had enough power to at least give the room a little light.

"And you doubted me!" I gloated in victory. My victory was short lived when the button I was still holding onto shocked my fingers, making me jump back. "Ow!" I winced.

Splinter was about to ask if I was okay when the lights around the room began shatter, self-imploding.

The four turtles shrieked in shock, cowering under Splinter in fear.

Not to mention I also screamed in shock and stumbled back, falling down the stairs next to me. I could have easily caught myself, but there were cans on the bottom of the floor.  
When my feet hit them, they began to roll, making me roll with them and lose my balance. "Agahahha!" I screamed, throwing my arms into the air wildly.

Falling backwards, I slammed into the wall, frozen in silence.

When the final light had died out, leaving only a few candles to light the room as they did before, I rubbed my arm awkwardly.

I think the shock was making my hair stand up straight. Reaching up, I blinked to find my hair was frizzy and standing straight up towards the ceiling.

Splinter frowned at me, not amused.

"Hehe…. Oops." I grinned sheepishly.

_Yup, that is about all that happened. Maybe I should do a little bit more research on circuit breakers and fuse boxes? _

_Yeah, that might be wise. _

_It also took forever for me to get my hair to go straight. How embarrassing. _

_Well, not as embarrassing as to when I freaked out about the boys during the first few days. _

_Did you know they could still go completely into their shell? No joke! _

_Okay okay, here is what happened. _

I had left the boys alone for only 10 minutes because I was helping Splinter move a few chairs in. It didn't take that long, and we both knew the boys were still in that room playing together.

So once we were done I walked back to check on them.

"Boys?" I called into the room. Peeking my head in, I frowned to find it was oddly quite. Stepping in, I made a full circle, until I finally spotted the boys curled up in one corner. Moving towards it, I smiled at the sight of all of them sleeping against one another, exhausted from their playtime.

"Aww." I cooed, kneeling down. Planning on taking them to their room, I blinked at when one of their shells came into view.

Although there were four shells, I could only see three heads. Reaching toward the shell that I could see no head from, I lifted it up, almost screaming at the sight.

There were no limbs or head coming out from the shell! It almost seemed… EMPTY!

_Oh my gosh! What- How- AHHHH! Did something eat him!? SOMETHING ATE HIM! OH GOD! MY BABY! I'm a failure as a guardian! I knew this would happen. I knew I would fail them! I'm so sorry!_

_"_Ah!" I cried out in horror.

Pop!

Looking down, my eyes widened as a head popped out from the seemingly empty shell. Large baby blue eyes met mine, blinking in confusion.  
"Nuh?" Mikey asked softly, moving his arms out of his shell to rub his eyes. _I didn't know what he just mumbled, and I didn't care. _

My eyes widened.

_He was just… sleeping in his shell? They can do that!? Sure, I knew turtles often hide in their shell to protect themselves or to sleep, but… since the boys were half human, at least I assumed they were half human since they were the size of normal infants, I thought… Well, I honestly thought they had lost the ability to do that. _

_"_Michelangelo…" I sighed with relief; happy that my youngest was in fact sleeping on had not been eaten by some unknown beast. Brining him close, I hugged him tightly.

Gripping my shirt, he looked up at me with wide and puzzled eyes. It was if he was saying "_Women why are you panicking?"_

"Oh um… sorry." I apologized. "I probably woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry Michelangelo." Adjusting his position so that I could cradle him, I rocked him back and forth.

Instantly relaxed, the young freckled faced turtle smiled contently his head slightly sinking into his shell as he began to fall asleep yet again.

_Yeah not my best moments, and only seconds later Splinter came bursting in, waking up all of them with how he slammed opened the door. _

_He had heard my scream and though I was in some sort of trouble. It was sweet how he was concerned, but I was still furious that he woke the babies up from their nap!_

_Stupid Splinter! Slam the door open quieter next time! You're a ninja after all!_

_But that's not the point. _

_Besides that, things had been going rather well within my new home. _

_If there is one thing I love most about this little home Splinter and I had found, it is that it had a small little water canal towards the side of the wall. _

_And the best part, this water wasn't connected to the sewer lines; it was connected to the river. Which made it much more sanitized then any other water within blocks. _

_Second best part about the water, I could give the turtles a bath here without having to worry too much about just what might be floating around in it. _

_Speaking of Baths. There were currently four little turtles taking one. _

Thankfully the water wasn't too deep, so the turtles could easily swim around and crawl within the little section.

"Now don't move Raphael." I mumbled after rolling up my sleeve to my shoulders to scrub his face with some soap. Too distracted by the bubbles floating around the water, he stuck out his tongue.

I chuckled. I might as well be taking a bath myself; I was soaked! These little guys just couldn't stay still.

They really loved bubbles; that was for sure. Their faces were covered in them. Mikey looked like a bubble turtle!

It was soo cute!

After about 30 minutes of struggling to hold the little turtles still to clean their faces and shells, I had finally managed to clean them all.

Looking down at myself, I sighed at the sight of my dripping shirt and shorts. So much for trying to stay dry.

_Hey, any of you know Bobby Darin? My older brother was always a huge fan of his work and his voice and sang his songs constantly. One song in particular known as, Splish Splash, was my brother's favorite song to sing while he was taking a bath. _

_You could always hear my brother singing through the ventilation systems that lead throughout the house. _

_Hey you know what?_

_I feel a song coming on!_

"Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath! 'Long about a Saturday night." I sang. "Yeah~!" I threw my hands up, catching all the turtle's attention.

They smiled, listening to me sing with joy.

"A rub dub, just realxin' in the tub, thinkin' everything was alright." Reaching down, I grabbed Leo's hand, moving them with my own so that he was dancing. He giggled. "Well, I stepped out of the tub, put my feet on the floor. I wrapped the towel around me and I opened the door and then a… Splish Splash!" I lifted Leo into my arms, not caring that I was getting soaked and had him dance with me. "I jumped back in the bath. Well how was I to know there was a party goin' on?" Placing Leo on the floor, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his small frame.

I was able to wrap him around in it at least twice before I placed him on the floor, leaning against the wall so he could watch me.

Moving my hips and arms, I danced back to the water, ready to taking out the other babies.

_I wonder if my danced looked weird. I felt that it was weird, so it must have looked weird too. Maybe that is why the babies were laughing?_

_"_There was a-splishin' and a-splashin', reelin' with the feelin', movin' and a-groovin', rolling' and a-strollin'!" Reaching out, I grabbed Donatello. "Hey there." I wiggled my eyebrows at him, making him cover his mouth a laugh. Placing him down, I took another towel and wrapped him up just as I did Leo, and placing him by his older brother.

Once again moving back to the water, I grabbed Raphael this time. He was grinning so widely, I think he was trying to sing with me. "Bing bang, I saw the whole gang. Dancin' on my front room rug." I rubbed my nose to his snout, making him squeak with delight. "Yeah. Flip flop, they was doin' the bop. All the teens and the dancin' bug! There was, Lollipop with a, Peggy Su. Good Golly, Ms. Molly, was a-even there too." I placed Raphael on the ground, wrapping a towel around his body and bringing him to sit by his other two brothers. "A well a- Splish Splash, I forgot about the bath. I went and put my dancin' shoes on. YEAH!" I stomped my feet and bit, sliding this time to the water, right in front of Michelangelo, who was trying to eat the bubbles, staring at me with wide eyes.

"I was a-splishin' and a-splashin', reelin' with the feelin', moving and a-groovin', rollin' and a-strollin'!" I reached my hands out, lifting Michelangelo out of the water and to the ground. Taking his hands, I helped him stand on his feet, which none of them were able to do by themselves, and helped him dance.

He giggled wildly, stomping his feet to my song.

"Yes, I was splishin' and a-splashin', oh yeah, I was rollin' and a-strollin'. Yes, I was movin' and a-groovin', lots of movin' and a-groovin'!" I twirled him around one before I moved to cover his body with the towel, placing him by his older brothers. All still within their towels, they stared at me, watching my every move, no matter how weird my dancing might be. "We was reelin' with the feelin'. A-rollin' and a-strollin'. Movin' with the groovin'. Splish Splash! Splish Splash! A-rollin' and a-strollin'. Movin' with the groovin'! Splish splash!" Spinning, I ended my dance in front of the little canal of water, pumping my fist in the air.

The boys were squealing and squawking loudly, as if wanting another song.

Chuckling, I placed my hands on my hips, grinning at them. "You all like my singing?"  
"It is a very nice voice." A deep voice said from behind me. Jumping, I whirled around to find Splinter, who had appeared out of nowhere. He smiled.

"Sugar Honey Iced Tea!" I screamed in shock, stumbling back.

My scream made Splinter jump, not understanding why I was so shocked.

I didn't have much time to care what he was thinking though because my foot slipped on the slippery floor, and I felt myself falling backwards, into the water. Hitting the water hard, I allowed my self to become completely submerged, sinking to the bottom to give myself a moment to calm down.

_…Oh my gosh. How long had he been there!? Did he see me dancing? He obviously heard me singing. Aww, hey wait a minute; he thinks my voice is nice. How sweet. Wow, wow wait no. That doesn't change that he basically just went ninja on you Arinna! The jerk! He gave me a heart attack! _

Looking up, I could see the murky form of Splinter rushing to the side of the canal, looking into the water to find me.

_I don't want him to think that I'm drowning in such shallow water. _

So placing my feet on the ground, I slowly stood. I bent my knees though, making it so Splinter could only see from my nose up.

I glared at him, angry that he snuck up and scared me.

Blinking Splinter couldn't help but chuckle. "I-I apology for spooking your Arinna." He said quickly, clearing his throat, trying his best not to laugh. "I did not realize you weren't aware of my presence."

_What, me? Aware of a ninja's presence? Of course I was aware! Completely aware! Yeah, especially with me singing and dancing and just trying to get the boys to stop wiggling for 5 seconds! Yup, COMPLETELY aware. _

"I knew you were there." I grumbled.  
"Really?" Splinter honestly looked surprised.  
"What is that face for?!" I demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You intended to scare me, didn't you! You _wanted _me to fall in the water!" I jumped out of the water, snatching up the last towel to wrap around my neck and shoulders.

"No, I am honest, I did not intend for any of that to happen." Splinter raised his hands defensively.

"Yeah sure." I grumbled, turning away to shuffle to the turtles, who all looked at me, confused as to what just happened. Kneeling down, I lifted Leo up, placing him on his back legs. He instantly fell forward, unable to stand by himself. I used my knees for him to lean on as I moved the towel around his body, drying him.

"I see you gave them a bath." Splinter said, moving next to me to dry off Raphael.

"Yes, yes I did." I nodded, moving the towel to Leo's head. His little head peeked out from the towel, smiling at me. I grinned, moving the towel a bit around his head. "Where or where oh where is Leo?" I smiled. When I paused Leo clapped his hands, letting out a giggle when I began to sing again. "Where oh where oh where is Leo." I paused, making Leo pause too. I could see he was grinning though. "Where or where oh where is Leo? Where can Leo be?" Moving the towel to the side, Leo, who had been closing his eyes tightly, smiling from ear to ear, looked up at me. "There he is!" I gasped in fake shock, pointing to him.

Leo squealed, pushing away from my knees just to fall backward. I grabbed his hand before he could hit the ground and gently placed him the rest of the way until he was sitting.

Chuckling, I moved to Donnie and Mikey, quickly drying them off.

"The boys, they really seem to like when you sing." Splinter said after a few seconds, trying to dry off Raphael's head, but he kept trying to shove Splinter's hands away. Splinter frowned at the small turtle, not understanding why he didn't wish to be dried.

"Oh, you can't just place it on his head." I announced. Splinter glanced at me, blinking.

"You can't?" he inquired.

I nodded, reaching out with my own towel. "You see, you have to start with his neck." Placing the towel on the back of Raphael's neck, I moved my hands in soft circles.

Raphael relaxed against my touch, allowing my to slowly make my way up from his neck to the top of his head. "It is a process with him." I chortled.

Splinter, taken aback, nodded. "I see. Anything else I should know about Raphael?"

"Oh well, he can't sleep unless he is either pressed up against you, or you have a hand on his shell." I mused, rubbing circles along Raphael's head gently. A soft grumble noise came from his throat. I paused, looking at Splinter. "…He also seems to purr when you pet his head." I laughed.

We both shared a laugh as we finished drying of the turtles.

"Arinna, what was that phrase you called out before you fell into the water?" Splinter inquired

I looked to him, my eyes wide. "…What?" I blinked.

"Well, you said something I never heard anyone yell before." He explained. "It was… what was it again. Sugar honey…" he trailed off, not remembering the rest of the phrase.

I almost gagged. "Oh uh… no, it's nothing really. Nothing at all. I said um… Sugar Honey Iced Tea. It's uh… just a phrase us kids say now a days." I stammered quickly.

Splinter nodded, shacking his head at me. "Kids." He mused, picking Raphael and Donatello up and walking away. Doing the same for Michelangelo and Leonardo, I looked down at them, as if hoping they wouldn't ever reveal my secret as to what those four words really meant.

"Shh." I nodded to them.

They looked confused, put their finger to their lips in a 'Shh' motion regardless.

_Yeah, life here was pretty great. It always seemed to pass by so quickly though. _

_I hadn't even realized just how quickly until a whole month had passed by. Whoa, had things come and gone by much faster than I expected them too. _

_The turtles were also growing so fast! I didn't know how long it took for a turtle to grow into a full adult, or if they grew for their whole lives, but the little babies were definitely beginning to grow. _

_They were a bit bigger now, not by much, but at least a bit. _

_I was glad to see them growing up happily. Though I often wondered if I was teaching them the rights things, or being a responsible adult figure for them, I luckily had Splinter there to help guide me. _

_I even got him a little present to say 'Thank you'. _

Moving up to where Splinter had begun to make his room/ mini Dojo, I smiled at the little sapling in my hands.

I had found it earlier this morning as I was passing a floral shop. The owner of the store had at least three that he was trying to get rid of, but no one would take them.

Luckily for him, I was passing by on this faithful day and was happy to take the little sapling from him. I didn't understand it really myself, but at the time I was thinking back to that patch of dirt in Splinter's room. There was a large section in his room that the construction workers had forgotten to fill in with cement, leaving the place without a purpose.

Looking at the sapling I had the odd thought that maybe, just maybe, it would fit there nicely.

Running up the stairs, I peeked my head inside, grinning at the sight of Splinter setting up the room. The four little turtles were busy playing in the center as Splinter was placing up the paper doors leading to his room where he sleep and meditated.

Stepping inside, I waved to Raphael, who spotted me first. Squeaking at the sight of me, he began to crawl towards me. As if his squeak was a signal to the others, the other three looked up, grinning at the sight of me.

Splinter looked over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of the four little turtles crawling around my legs. Leaning down, I petted all their heads.

"Hey guys." I chuckled.

"Arinna, welcome back.' Splinter nodded. Looking up, I grinned.

"Got ya something." I announced. Intrigued, he paused from the door he was working on to move to me. When he was close enough, I held the sapling out to him.

"I thought, since there is that free patch of dirt there." I paused to point to square section of dirt that cement had never been put over. "You could put this there. It would really add some style to the room."

Looking from the sapling to the patch of dirt, Splinter nodded. "Yes." He agreed. "I think this would fit quite nicely."

"Oh really? That's perfect!" I cheered.

_We buried that sapling together with the boys. Though I think they really just wanted to play in the dirt. _

_We had to give them another bath after that. Oh wait no, Splinter had to give them another bath after that. I had gotten wet enough as it is trying to get those kids into the water. _

_With all his ninja training, even he could never prepare himself for just how violent those kids could be during bath time. It was like a world war on its own._

_Yup. A lot of things happened after that. I mean, A LOT of things. I don't think I could even say them all if I tried. _

_I suppose one major event that occurred is how I asked Splinter to teach my some Ninjitsu. _

_I know what you're thinking. 'Arinna, why would you ask him to do that?"_

_Well, to be honest, who wouldn't ask? He's a ninja master, I'm living under the same roof as him, and I'm not the best fighter. I only know a bit of defense, and sadly, that's not enough to survive here in New York. _

_So while he was meditating and I was bringing him some tea, I decided to bring up the question!_

"Master Splinter." I spoke up, drawing my courage.

Without opening his eyes from his meditation, he replied, "Yes?"

"Can I ask you something? Sort of… a favor?" I asked slowly, hoping I didn't sound to pushy.

"Of course Arinna."

I took a deep breath. "Oh okay so um… it's okay if you say no, I was just wondering but… you know Ninjitsu, correct?" I titled my head a bit, biting my bottom lip nervously.

Master Splinter nodded.

"Do you think… or could you… um, can you… teach me? Teach me how to defend myself and fight?" I looked up at him nervously.

Surprised, Splinter, opened his eyes to look at me. "May I ask why you wish this?"

"Well," I began to explain, sitting in front of him. "As you know, I often go up to the surface to get supplies. As you also know, New York can be a very dangerous place. One day while I'm up there; some gang or thief might just try and mug me! If that happens, well… I can't defend myself, and you can't come save me."

Splinter slowly lifted his hand to rub his chin. "Yes, I see your point." He agreed.

"So, I was wondering if you could teach me… a few things? Some defensive and offensive stuff." I shrugged.

We locked eyes, neither of us saying anything.

Splinter seemed to be thinking it over and within a few seconds came to a conclusion. "You are right Arinna." He smiled. "I shall teach you."

"Really?" I beamed. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!"

"However, the training will be hard." I paused, listening to him continue. "You will train your body in ways you are not used to. You will be on a strict training schedule as well."

I nodded, still too excited to really listen to deeply into his words.

"When we train I shall not be your friend, but your teacher, your sensei."

"Sensei, right, gotcha" I nodded quickly.

He chuckled. "Are you listening to what I am telling you?"

"No, not really." I nodded again.

We laughed.

_Time for some ninja training! Shell yeah!_

**_Alright! This is the end of the chapter! Hope you all liked the different little moments I put in this chapter. Time for some Ninja Training in the next chapter XD Yeah! _**

**_Oh yeah, recently some people have asked if I'm going to make a cover picture for this story. I, sadly, can not draw. I mean, at all. I'm not even good at drawing stick figures. -_-_**

**_But if anyone can draw, has a deviantart account and is willing to draw a cover picture for this story, please let me know! I would be really thankful!_**


	10. A Sleepsong of weapons

**_Hey guys! I'm just... I'm so excited! I love how many reviews I'm getting and you are all so supportive. Thank you so much. _**

**_Within this chapter Arinna sings a song that all of you might or might not know. I do not own the song, or the TMNT cast. Wish I did, but alas, I cannot!_**

**_Recently some of this stories reviewers have made some fanart! The links to them both are on my profile page! Please go check them both out, they are awesome! :D Once again, i want to thank Randomfandomness and EpicThunder101 for taking the time to draw them! :D_**

_Now, if I move my foot like this I should be standing in the correct position. Yes, and then if I- ADAHAHAHAHAHHA! God golly, how long have you been standing there?!_

_A few minutes?!  
Why didn't you say anything, you jerk faces! You about gave me a heart attack! Geez…_

_…Alright, I've calmed down. Now, what are you doing here? _

_Oh, you're here for the next part of the story? Why didn't you just say so silly? Haha! Okay, okay, well come on, take a seat, get comfortable. _

_Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, the whole 'Please teach me Ninjitsu, Splinter!' bit. _

After asking Splinter, _or I suppose I should call him 'Master Splinter' now_, to train me, he instantly pulled out his weapons.

I think he wanted to show me what sort of things he would be teaching me first, and just how dangerous these things can be.

_Maybe he thought I would mess around with them and get hurt. How old does he think I am? Five? I would SO not hurt myself. _

_…Besides when I cut my finger against the Sai…Or the Splinter I got from the stupid stick. _

I wouldn't let that get me down though. I was pumped for today. Maybe he would give me my own weapon?

Which is why, I've named today's mission; **_Finding The Inept Arinna A Weapon Mission _**

He showed me several different weapons and demonstrated a few. Such as, he showed me how to wield a Katana. He even let me hold it and mess around with it a bit_. _

Yet, as soon as I was done swinging the Katana a few times, he had this odd look in his eyes.

_It was a little creepy, like he was staring into my soul, trying to get an answer. What sort of answer, I don't know. Then he smiled and nodded to himself, as if the answer had been revealed. _

I didn't really have time to ask what he was staring at though, because he instantly handed me the wooden staff that I had brought from his apartment.

Holding the staff in my hands I frowned at it. _Well, well, well. We meet again, stick!_

I tilted my head at Splinter, who held a stick very similar to my own. "…Alright, I'll bite. What are we doing?"

"There is something I wish to test." Splinter announced, holding the staff out from himself.

Watching his movement, I scanned the position of his hands, and copied. "Okay."

Splinter smiled, nodding in approval. "For this lesson Arinna, I simply ask that you watch what I do with this Bo Staff."

I frowned, but nodded.

_Okay, just watch. I can do that. Oh wait, did he say Bo Staff? Is that what this stick is called? Well, nice to meet ya Bo, I'm Arinna. I know we didn't exactly share pleasantries before, but I'd like to have a fresh start with you. _

_So with that said, please don't wack my head later on, okay?_

Splinter nodded again, bringing the Bo staff back to himself. In a set of quick motions he stabbed at the air, moving Bo, _which is what I have now named the stick,_ as if he were fighting an opponent. He twirled Bo skillfully in his hands, ending his demonstration by letting one end of Bo hit the ground at his feet, while holding the top of Bo with his hand.

_Well, I don't know if he was bragging about his skills, but I admit, that was awesome. _

I clapped for him, grinning. "That was so cool!"

Splinter gave me a small smile, motioning for me to bring my own Bo close. Doing as he wanted, I looked to him, not sure what he wanted me to do.

"Repeat."

"…Repeat?" I frowned. _Did he want me to do what he just did? I'm not a master at Ninjitsu so um… yeah no, I can't do any of that Splinter. _

His gaze was piercing, unwavering in what he wanted me to do. Knowing I wouldn't be able to back out, I sighed.

"Okay." I brought the Bo up. My mind shot back to what Splinter had done minutes before. I analyzed his hands. Every flick or movement of his wrist and fingers came flooding back to me as I repeated them the best I could.

"Yame." Splinter held up a hand, half way between my attempts.

"…What?" I blinked at him.

"It means _stop_ in Japanese." He explained with a chuckle.

_Oh of course, why didn't I know that?_

Splinter wasted no time in approaching me, staring at me intently. "Arinna. You said before you had no experience with any type of weaponry?"

_Well, I tried messing around with a pocket knife once. That didn't end so well. I almost cut off my whole hand! _

"Yup." I nodded, shacking the memory out of my head.

"Yet, you did ever move I showed you perfectly? It was if you copied me."

I paused, my mind going blank. _I did? Oh well, that can't be because I- oh… oh wait a minute. Oh yeah, now I remember._

"I didn't exactly… copy you." I said slowly, shuffling my feet nervously. "Well no, that is sort of a lie. I did copy you but it's more along the line of… I remembered what you did."

_Well, the cat is out of the bag._

"You remembered?" Splinter inquired, rubbing his chin, not sure what I meant.

"Anything I see, I remember, and do later. Well, at least as far as my own physical ability will allow." I added.

Splinter was silent, letting the information sink in. "…You posses a photographic memory?" he finally guessed.

I nodded, smiling sheepishly. "In a way."

"What ever do you mean?"

"It's like… Monkey see monkey do. I can only remember what a person does with their hands." I looked down at my own as I spoke. "I can't remember large assortments of numbers or faces, not even what anyone's feet can do. I can only fully remember every detail of what a person's hands can do. If you had moved around in your demonstration, I would only have been able to do what your hands did. My feet would have been stumbling over themselves." I laughed.

Splinter nodded, understanding what I meant. "I see." He smiled, almost sounding… pleased? He looked at me as if he saw great promise within me.

To be honest, it made me a little hopeful that I might be able to actually do something right in my life.

_Hah! Take that life! I'm not a loser! _

"Then, shall we continue in the demonstration of the weapons?" Splinter inquired with a sly smile.

I perked up. "Yes please!" I grinned.

_We spent the whole day like that. Going through and demonstrating all the different assortments of weapons Splinter had. _

_Granted we always took a break every 30 minutes to check on the turtles, but besides that, nothing stopped us. _

"What is this?" I blinked, staring at a large, almost star shaped object in shock. It was completely made out of metal and I felt hesitant to pick it up.

"That would be a windmill shuriken." Splinter explained, taking it from my hands. Stepping to turn away from me, Splinter pointed towards one of the large practice dummies I had found. "For instance…" bringing his hand back, he shot the weapon forward.

Almost like a spinning bullet, it shot towards the dummy, hitting it directly in the head.

"Wow!" I gasped, jumping to my feet. "That was amazing!"

_Poor practice dummy though. I would hate it if one of those things hit me. _

Pulling out the second windmill shuriken, which was a little smaller then the other, he held it out to me.

"You were watching my hands when I threw the other one, yes?" he practically smirked.

Taking it hesitantly, I nodded. "Yes, but I don't think… I can do it. I don't have very steady hands."

"What of your aim?"

_"…_It's okay." I shrugged.

"Show me. Aim for the dummies legs." He stepped to the side, motioning me forward. Pouting at him, I stepped forward. Remembering how Splinter moved his hands, I brought the shuriken back.

Focusing on the dummies chest, I felt my hands shack a bit.

_Come on shaky! Just throw the dangerous weapon!_

Flicking my wrist forward, hoping to get a spin, I pushed all my strength into my arm.

**THWACK!**

The Windmill Shuriken hits its target chopping off its leg.

_I hit it! Oh, wait-_

Instead of stopping as soon as the Windmill Shuriken hit the dummy, it kept going till it implanted itself against the wall.

"…Oops." I winced.

"You have better aim then you say." Splinter announced, rubbing his chin.

_…Did he not see that thing hit the wall? Cause I mean, it's still there. You can clearly see it. _

"…Not… really." I mumbled, my voice oddly calm. I wish my thoughts were as calm as my voice.

_OH MY GOSh. I…. AHH! I hit the wall! Oh my goodness gracious! That was so terrifying! I mean I-I hit the legs, but that doesn't change that I hit the wall too!_

_"_Sorry about your um… your wall." I said awkwardly, glancing up at him.

Shacking his head, he said nothing to show that he was mad. "You hit the legs, that is all that matters."

"Really?" I gawked. "So… you're cool about me hitting your wall?"

"Cool? I'm furious." He smiled calmly. "You'll be fixing that later."

I slouched forward.

_I should have known he would have said something like that. _

_"_…Roger that." I sighed. Looking towards the Dummy, I stared at it's missing leg.

_…I hit it. I actually… hit it!_

"These are called, Kamas." Splinter announced, pulling me out of my thoughts as he lifted two blades up for me to see.

"Kamas." I nodded. They looked a little familiar to me. Like something a famer would use to cut crops. Swiping them once across the air, he handed them to me for me to examine them.

They were a little heavy, but it may just be because I'm a weakling.

_Stupid flabby arms!_

I wasn't quite sure though what to think of the Kamas. They were really cool, but I didn't feel really comfortable holding them. I didn't really feel comfortable hold anything that was sharp.

_Maybe I just need to get use to it. _

"The Kusarigama." Splinter held up the weapon with a smile. It looked almost like a staff, almost a handle, with a blade on the top. A large chain with weight at the end was also connected to the odd weapon.

"The Kusarigama." I nodded, staring at it curiously.  
"This weapon is well known for immobilizing or disarming an enemy." Splinter announced.

"How?" I inquired.

"One would swing the chain above their head-" he paused to demonstrate, and I quickly jumped back. "Then swinging in out at the enemy, while keep out of the attack range. Once the enemy is disarmed or immobilized, you would attack." He motioned to the stick part with the blade.

"Oh!" I nodded, folding my arms. "I get it now. That would be really affective. And it would help stay out of a enemies attack range."

"Yes." Splinter paused from spinning the chain to hand the weapon to me to look at. "The art is Kusarigamajutsu is a very difficult art to master."

"Kusarig-what ever you just said." I scrunched up my nose, trying to recall what he just said.

"Kusarigamajutsu." He repeated.

"…Yeah." I grinned sheepishly. As Splinter turned to retrieve another weapon, I took the chain above my head. It was a little heavy with the weight on the bottom, but once I got it going it was easy.

It was actually a little fun to swing this thing over my head.

"Hey Splinter, I think I got the hand of-" Loosing my concentration for a brief moment, I didn't even realize that I had lost some momentum with the chain. "AHHHH!" I screamed in shock as the chain curled itself around me, binding myself within in.

Stumbling forward in shock, I tripped over my feet and face planted into the ground, my arms tied tightly to my sides.

Whirling around, Splinter hid mouth gaping at the sight of me.

_All these weapons were out to get me! First the Stick, then the Sai, now the chain! Why me?!_

"…Help… Me…" I whined, my voice muffled with my face in the ground. Moving forward, Splinter placed his hands on my shoulders and lifted my up. Once I was standing on my feet, he kneeled in front of me, holding me steady as he un-tangled the chain.

"…How did this occur?" He asked after a moment of hesitation, keeping his focus on the chains.

"…I was spinning it…" I grumbled, not wanting to explain any further than that.

Splinter studied me, blinking in silence. Slowly he smiled, as if to hide back a laugh.

"It isn't funny." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I'm not laughing." He said calmly, but I could hear the mocking tone in his voice.

"Yeah you are." I accused. "You're mentally laughing! I can see it in your eyes!"

"Perhaps you are tired." He suggested innocently, rising to his feet. "You are imagining things."

"Am not!" I huffed, storming pass him as if to leave. Pausing from my exit, I looked towards the weapons he had laid out for me to see. Looking down, I blinked. "Hey. Is this a bow?" I asked, lifting it up.

_…Wait, wasn't I mad a second ago? _

_Oh well, short attention spans can't be questioned. _

"Ah yes." Splinter nodded. Reaching down, he held up a small bag holding several arrows inside.

"Bow and arrows." I smiled. "Can I try?"

"Do you know how?"

"Of course! My mom loved archery. She would show me all the time! We would always go out every Saturday and shoot at targets. That was fun." I sighed nostalgically, taking the arrows from his hands to sling them over my shoulder. "We did it every week since I was small, until-" I cut myself off, my brain flashing to the day my mother left and never came back. "Till… she…" Lowering my hands, I frowned.

I lost myself in thought, remembering back to that day where my life plummeted down hill. The day my mom left, my father changed, and my brother had been forced to grow up long before he was meant to.

_My mind flashed to my mother's face, then to my father's, and finally, my brother's. My dear brother. He always had the happiest grins. You could always tell exactly how my brother felt just by looking into his eyes. _

"Arinna?"

A gentle hand on my shoulder made me jump, turning to see Splinter, staring at me concerned. "…Are you alright?" He asked softly.

"I…" I gulped once, regaining my composure. "Yeah. I'm fine." I nodded quickly. "Just… lost in thought."

Splinter nodded, staring at me, his concern never leaving his eyes. "Would you wish to speak about it?"  
I was surprised he would offer something like that, and stared at him, bewildered. "…No it's um…. It's alright… Really." I nodded towards him, moving to look towards the targets across the room. Pulling an arrow out, I placed it on the bow, pulling it back to my cheek.

Splinter watched, his expression unreadable.

Focusing in on the arrow, I let the arrow go, allowing it fly forward. Watching it, I grinned when it hit the target. It had been a while since I had last shot and arrow, but I seemed to have retained most of my skill.

Well, if you call hitting the very corner of the target skill, then I had it!

"Very good." Splinter nodded.

I smiled bashfully at him. "Thank you Splinter- or um, Sensei." I bowed to him. Chucking he bowed back.

Lifting our heads, we smiled at each other again, as if a secret had just been passed between us.

"WAHHHHHHHH!"

A large wail coming from Michelangelo made me jump.

"Oh, he must have woken up from his nap." I quickly took the arrows off and handed them, along with the bow, back to Splinter.

"Shall we end today's lesson?' he inquired.

"Might as well. Once Mikey's up he'll take forever to fall back asleep."

He nodded, placing the weapons on the floor. "Now that you have seen the weapons, tomorrow we shall move onto defense, hand to hand combat, and a few hours of meditation." He announced.

"Wicked." I grinned, moving towards the door. "Can't wait!"As I opened the door, I yelped in shock when something smacked against my head. Moving my head to the side, my eyes widened to see the Bo, the stick, who was leaning against the wall, had fallen forward, hitting my head!

_BO! I thought we had an agreement! You liar! You said you wouldn't hit my head again you jerk! I'll kill you!_

Grabbing the stick, I growled angrily, as if I meant to choke the thing. _Can you even choke a_ stick?

"Arinna, Michelangelo." Splinter reminded me, shacking his head at my antics.

"Oh! Oh yeah." I nodded quickly. Narrowing my eyes at Bo, I threw it to the ground in disgust. _Don't think this is over Bo. I'm coming back for you later!_

I ran out to rush to Mikey's room. Hopefully with his crying he hadn't woken up his brothers.

Moving into his room with ease, I could see him sitting up, covering his eyes with his hands.

_Oh, it must have been a nightmare._

"Michelangelo." I called, moving towards him. Hearing my voice, he looked at me. At the sight of me, he babbled something in baby language. Moving to his side, I sat down on his bed and reached out to whip his tears away. The young turtle leaned against my hand, sniffling.

After a few seconds he held his hand up and whimpered, wishing for me to pick him up. With a fond smile I reached down, lifting him into my lap

Instantly comfortable, he sucked on his thumb, staring at me. He stared around wearily, as if worried what ever he saw in his nightmare would come back.

"There there." I whispered, holding him a little closer, gently caressing his bald head. "It's alright now. It was just a dream."

He looked to me, blinking his moist baby blue eyes. Leaning forward, I kissed his snout.

He giggled, swatting at my face and grabbing my nose to examine it. As if it was some strange object, he blinked, tilting his head, puzzled.

"That's my nose." I chuckled. Standing up from Mikey's little bed, I moved towards my room.

I had come to realize something about Michelangelo. If you wanted to get him to sleep, you needed to pace yourself. Literally.

Mikey could not sleep unless you were holding him and walking around. He was just at that age where he couldn't sleep unless someone was holding him.

Entering my room, I began to pace back and forth, whispering soothing words to the baby in my arms. Hopefully, he would fall back asleep.

Bouncing him a bit as I walked around with him, I could slowly feel Mikey begin to doze off, subconsciously curling into my chest. Hugging him close, I patted the back of his shell.

_Perhaps a Lullaby would help him fall into a deep sleep? Well, I had definitely learned from Donatello when it came to lullabies. So instead of just making on up right on the spot, I came prepared this time. _

_I knew exactly what to sing to this little turtle tot. _

_(This song is called; Sleepsong By Secret Garden. The Nightcore version! Make sure it is the nightcore version, I feel that version fits Arinna's voice a bit better than the oringial)_

_"_Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby. Back to the years, of loo-li lai-lay." I sang softly. My voice cracked a bit, but I swallowed, and sang again. "And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you tomorrow. Bless you with love. For the road that you go."

Blinking sleepily at me, a soft smile pulled at the young freckled turtles lips.

"May you sail fair; to the fair field of fortune. With diamonds and pearls; at your head and your feat. And may you need never to banish misfortune. May you find kindness, in all that you meet. May there always be angels, to watch over you. To guide you each step of the way." I brought Michelangelo up a bit, pressing my cheek to his. He cooed at the affection, rubbing his cheek to mine. "To guard you and keep you safe, from all harm. Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay." I spun a bit, rocking the smallest of the turtles in my arms lovingly. Pressing my forward to his, I grinned when giggled softly.

Moving back to stare at him, I brushed the side of my finger to his cheek. ""May you bring love and may you bring happiness. Be loved in return, till the end of your days. Now, fall off to sleep. I'm not meaning to keep you. I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li lai-lay."

As if understanding the lyrics to the song, he began to drift off once more. When his eyes finally closed, a content smile on his face, I finished the song softly.

"May there always be angels, to watch over you. To guide you each step of the way. To guard and keep you, safe from all harm. Loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, lai-lay. Loo-li, loo-li, lai….lay." taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes to the content feeling in the air.

A soft snore caught my attention, and I smiled at the sight of my youngest, sleeping peacefully.

_Is it alright for me to say 'my" youngest? I hope so. _

At the sound of someone knocking my door, I looked up. "Come in." I called quietly.

The door creaked open, and Splinter stuck his head in. "Arinna? May I ask-" he paused to step in, seeing that I had Mikey in my arms. "That you watch the boys?"

"Sure. Are you going to go meditate?" I inquired in a hushed whisper, moving to stand next to Splinter, still gently bouncing Michelangelo.  
"Yes." Splinter nodded with a thankful smile

"Alright. The other three are still asleep in their rooms. How long would you like?" I asked

"An hour would be much appreciated." Splinter smiled warmly at the four.

"Roger that." I grinned. With a chuckle, he turned to leave, but paused at the sight of my new dresser.

"Arinna? Is that the canister that held the strange Ooze?" Splinter asked, pointing to the cracked and now empty canister that rested

neatly on top.

"Oh, yeah." I grinned sheepishly.

"You are keeping it?"

"Well, why not?" I titled my head "I mean, I know it is because of this stuff that everything has happened, but isn't that all the more reason to keep it?" Moving forward, I stared at it. "I… well, I wouldn't really be here with the turtles or you without it so I thought… I would keep it. As a momentum." I smiled over my shoulder.

Looking to the canister, then Michelangelo, peacefully sleeping in my arms, Splinter smiled warmly. Reaching out, he gently brushed his hand over Michelangelo's cheek.

Cooing in his sleep, he subconsciously reached up to grab Splinter's finger.

"A momentum sounds nice." Splinter nodded in agreement.

**And we're done with this chapter. Now, I have a question for the audience! AN IMPORTANT QUESTION!**

**Recently I got some questions asking if I'm going to eventually get this fanfic to the point where the boys of teenagers. Yes, I am. It will take a while though. **

**So would you all prefer if I make a second fanfic, sort of a time skip, to when the boys are 15 and have it follow the Tv series? Please let me know if you do and I'll get started on it right away! :D**


	11. If you're the father, am I the mother?

**_New chapter yay! Okay, sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed at the end or something. I was really tired, so please forgive me for rushedness (Not sure if that is a word or not), spelling errors or grammatical errors. Thank you all again for the support.  
OH MY GOSH! 100 reviews! Is that a good thing? I hope it is! Thank you all so much! _**

_Well hello little audience inside my brain. How are you this find midnight? _

_Good? Peachy? _

_Well me, I'm dandy. Got some insomnia going on and just staring at my ceiling. Yup, I'm good. _

_You guys ever get those nights? Where you just can't fall asleep. You feel extremely tired, and would gladly go to bed, but as soon as your head touches the pillow, you feel wide awake again? _

_Yeah, this is one of those nights. _

_Maybe I'm just nervous? _

_You see, little audience in my brain, tomorrow is the day I choose my very own weapon. It has been at least five months since I began training with Splinter. _

_I've improved a lot and since then and things have been going great. _

_The boys have started to grow, at amazing rates. _

_Already, just at the age at 5 months and a half, the four little turtles have already begun to stand on their own feet. _

_They couldn't stand long, and could only walk a short time before falling down, but it was still astounding. _

_Perhaps it was their mutation that is helping the growth process along, but just seeing how far they have come, it is wicked. _

_I remembered when Leonardo had shocked my by rising to his feet. Using the wall to help support himself he looked at my with an accomplished smile. _

"Leonardo!" I gasped in shock as the little baby leaned his little body against the wall and grinned at me. "You're… Oh my gosh, good job Leonardo!' I cheered.

He giggled, holding one little hand out to me. Hesitantly he stepped forward, his leg wobbling a bit. Holding my arms out for him, I waited patiently for his second step.

"Splinter!" I called over my shoulder to catch his attention. "Come here! Quick!"

A rush of foot steps and Splinter arrived, coming closer to see what was wrong. See Leonardo on his back legs, his eyes widened.

"That's it Leonardo. Try step number 2." I suggested. He looked up at me, and narrowed his eyes in concentration. Looking down at his toes, he held his arms out for balance as he took his second step, away from the wall.

His three brothers gawked at him, surprised at what their older brother was doing.

Leaning forward a bit when I saw Leo almost fall down, I forced myself to stay back. _This was something Leo had to do on his own. _

Taking yet another step, swaying a bit, Leo lifted his hands out to grab mine.

Once his three little fingers were wrapped around a few of mine, he used my hands to support himself, and shuffled forward the rest of that way, right into my stomach, were he hugged me tight.

"You did it!" I cheered, lifting him up and jumping to my feet. Twirling him around, I paused when Splinter came up, patting his head.

"Well done Leonardo." He praised.

_It wasn't long after that when Raphael and Donatello also first their first steps. Michelangelo was the last one, and still can not walk more than a few steps without falling down. _

_His brothers aren't that different, but at least can stand on their own for a long while if they have something to hold onto. _

_Maybe soon, they would start talking too? Could they speak? That would be wicked if they could. _

Moving to lay on my side, staring at the wall, I blinked when I heard a soft creaking sound. There was a small patter of feet as two figures approached my bed.

On of the two reached out, pulling on my shirt sleeve.

Rolling over, I squinted my eyes open at the sound of whimpering and small squeaks. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes in a haze.

"Wha-?" I leaned for my lamp, pulling the small string to turn it on. When the light filled the room it took my eyes a minute to adjust.

_The light! It burns! _

When my eyes finally adjusted, I blinked at the sight of Leonardo standing before the bed, holding the hand of a whimpering Michelangelo.

"Leonardo. Michelangelo. What are you doing up?" I asked the 5 month olds. Barely able to walk by themselves, it surprised me they had made it all the way to my room.

At the sight of Mikey's tears, I lifted myself into a sitting position. "Did you have a nightmare?" I asked, leaning off the bed a bit to cup Mikey's freckled face. With a little sob, Mikey reached out for me to hold him. Complying, I lifted him onto the bed, holding him close.

"There there." I said soothingly as Mikey cried into my shirt, clinging onto my arms. With a small smile I looked to Leonardo. "Leonardo, did your brother wake you up?"

_Although he was only 5 months old, Leo could, in his own way, sort of speak. Well… I suppose you could call them words. Most of the time it was just random gibberish. But he got close to some words some times. _

Blinking a few times, he nodded. "Uh-huh…"

I suddenly felt really proud. "Did you walk him over here like a good big brother?"

Without hesitation, Leonardo nodded his head in a large motion. I smiled warmly at him. Reaching out, he grabbed me hand, allowing me to help him onto the bed. When he was safely on, he crawled over Michelangelo and me, laying his head on my stomach.

Patting his head, I smiled when both of them had begun to calm down and doze off again.

Reaching my head over my head, I reached blindly for the lamp. Feeling the string I pulled it, and placed the room into darkness.

Mikey, luckily out of his stage where I had to walk around while holding him, fell asleep again easily. Leo on the other hand, I could feel that he was awake because he kept pulling on my sleeve. Looking down at him, it took a second for my eyes to adjust before I could see his dark blue eyes staring up at me.

His head still resting on my stomach, he blinked.

"Go to sleep." I urged.

He frowned and hid his face within my T-shirt. Blinking, I tilted my head a bit.

When something wet soaked through my T-shirt and onto my stomach my eyes widened. Sitting up, careful not to wake up Mikey, I placed a hand on Leonardo's head.

A soft sob escaped his throat and he looked up at me with teary eyes. Reaching out, he hide his face in my shoulder, clinging to me tightly.

"…Did you have a nightmare too?' I murmured softly, hugging him close. Another sob, this one a little louder, was my only reply. Frowning, I pressed my cheek to the top of Leo's head. "What a brave little turtle you are Leonardo.'

-000-

The next morning I awoke to the feeling of two little hands poking my nose insistently. Grumbling at the feeling, I squinted my eyes open.

_What sort of person pokes someone to wake them up? _

_Oh._

_Two little turtles do. _

_"_…Morning." I waved to them slightly.

The grinned, wagging their little tails excitedly. Sitting up, I patted their heads, recalling the night before.

It had taken forever to calm Leonardo down enough so that he would fall asleep, and even after that, it took me even longer to fall asleep.

Rolling over, I looked towards my clock. It was 7 Am.

_Ugh. Who wants to wake up at that time?_

I slowly forced my self out of bed, herding Leo and Mikey towards the kitchen for breakfast. When I entered, I was surprised to see Splinter there, waiting for me.

"Good morning." He greeted.

"Good morning." I nodded back, moving to make myself some water. "How long have you been up?"  
"An hour." He said, motioning towards the high chairs I had found for the boys. Raphael and Donatello were already sitting in them, their faces a mess from their baby food.

_Aww, cute. Wait, how in the world did Raphael get food on the top of his head? Was he just throwing it up into the air or something? _

Chuckling at the sight, I grabbed a washcloth and moved to clean Raphael's face. He whined in protest at first, but slowly gave in and let me clean him.

Moving the cloth against his cheek, he pouted at me. Giggling, I moved forward and kissed his forehead, something he didn't protest too.

Then I moved onto Donnie. Though he wasn't as messy as his older brother, the goo on his face was still there. So leaning down, I gently cupped under his chin so he would look at me.

Blinking, he smiled as I began to wash his face, cooing in delight at the feel of it. Closing his eyes and grinning, he reached out blindly, trying to grab my own face.

I grinned, pressing my nose to his snout. "Good morning, Donatello." I smiled, pulling away to kiss his snout instead. He flew his arms around wildly, kicking his feet in his fit of giggles.

Pulling back, I smiled lovingly at him. He was so sweet and cute.

When I looked towards Splinter, he was smiling warmly at the three of us, looking away only briefly to help Leonardo and Michelangelo into their out high chairs.

After that, we all had breakfast together. I made Splinter some eggs using a heater, and old pan, and some (luckily) un-rotten egg I found. He was thankful for the meal and bowed his head to me in respect.

Once I sat down and began to eat my own food, I look to Michelangelo. He wasn't able to hold his own spoon by himself yet to get his food, so I was the one who had to feed him.

Placing his little bib on, I moved the spoon around in the jar to collect some of the baby food. I'm glad to know they could actually eat this stuff.

"Say "Ah" Mikey." I smiled, holding the spoon out. With wide eyes, the young turtle stared at the on coming spoon in shock. "Here comes the airplane." I mused, spinning my hand a few times in an airplane motion.

Smiling, Mikey open his mouth wide. "AH-h!" he said loudly as I placed the spoon in his mouth. Closing his mouth, I caught the bits that started to drip down his chin with my spoon, bringing it back up to his mouth.

_It was really nice they way we ate together like this. It really made me feel like we were a family. Splinter and me were the adults, well, I was at least some what of an adult, and the boys were our little kids. _

_Oh whoa wait, does that mean that Splinter is like the Dad? And I'm the mom? _

_"_Splinter?" I spoke up after a few seconds of comfortable silence. He looked up, speaking with his eyes for me to continue. "I was just wondering something…" I trailed off. _Wait no, this would probably sound stupid. _

_"_What is it Arinna?' Splinter inquired.

"Oh well um… I don't mean to sound cheesy or anything, but… is this um… well, it is like, a family?" I asked slowly.

Splinter looked shocked by my question, and titled his head to understand what I meant. "A family?"

"Well, yeah. Like, are you the Dad? And I'm the mom? Then the boys are our kids?" I looked towards Michelangelo and continued to feed him to distract myself.

Splinter was silent, as if he wasn't sure how to answer, or he was just thinking.

"I-I mean, listen, I think you're a great guy and all, but when I say I'm the mom and you're the dad, I don't mean we're a couple. Not at all. I'm just saying that it seemed like that or somethin'." I explained myself quickly, fumbling over my words. "And I'm not saying I'm trying to force you into taking in the boys as your sons, I just thought that was sort of what the relationship was like and all and-" Splinter held up a hand to stop me, and I clamped my mouth shut.

"Arinna." He chuckled. "There is no shame in your question. I honestly have wondered the same thing." He admitted.

"You have." I gawked at him.

_Oh, oh that's good! So I'm not making a complete fool of myself by seeing something that wasn't really there. GOOD!_

_"_I do believe you are right. I have become very found of the little ones." He looked to the turtles, who were either stuffing their faces with their baby food, or covering themselves with it. "I have come to love them as my own." His smile was so warm, it reminded me how my Father had looked at me when I was little.

A small tug of my lips, and I was grinning from ear to ear, happy to hear those words from him. "So then...?"  
"I would like to adopt them as my own sons, yes." The older rat nodded.

"That's great!" I cheered. "You'll be a great Father."

"Thank you." Splinter chuckled. "However, to raise four children by yourself is a very hard thing to do."

"Oh what?" I gapped at him. "Who said you would be alone. I'll be here to help." _Like I would let you go through this alone Splinter! Friends stick together till the very end! _

"As what?" Splinter suddenly smirked.

"…As… As 'what' what?" I blinked. _Okay, that was confusing. What did he mean by that._

_"_What would you be to the boys?" he pushed forward, motioning to them. Following his hand, I looked at the three oldest, then back to my right, where Mikey was trying to bring my hand forward so he could take another bit of his food. Slowly letting him pull my hand to him, he took a large bit, smiling in satisfaction.

"What… would I be?" I repeated absentmindedly.

"Would you be a friend?" Splinter began to guess.

_Well, I would definitely be their friend. _

_"_… A family member?'

_I love them as family already. _

"…A Mother?" the final question caught me off guard and snapped my attention to the man turned rat.

"A mother?" I squeaked.

"Yes, you are the one who brought up the thought in the first place." He reminded me. "You said how you thought I was like the Father, and you were the Mother. So I only assumed you thought of them as your own sons as well."

"I…well um…" I blushed out of embarrassment and looked away. _Was it even okay for me to think of them as my sons. I wasn't their real mother, and what if they resented me because of that. What if they thought I was trying to steal away the spot of their real mother? I didn't want that. _

_Would they even be happy with a weirdo like me being their mom? _

"I…" I hesitated. "Could I even… be their mom?"

Splinter's eyes widened, shocked. "You doubt yourself?"  
"Well, yeah, of course I do." I said quickly. "I'm not all wise or strong, and I hold doubt about myself about what I will teach them. What if I teach them the wrong things?"

"You wouldn't." Splinter said, his voice sounding so confident. Locking eyes with him, I gaze deeply into those un-lying and truthful orbs. "You would teach them everything they would need to know to be truly honorable boys."

"…How do you know?" my voice was soft.

The older rat had a knowing glint in his eyes. "I have seen what you are like Arinna. You wish only to help others. A child's personality comes from what their parents teach them. You, with a heart so pure and kind, would surly pass down a great legacy of kindness."

_No one had ever said something like that to me. And the only person before who ever had such confidence in my ability was my brother. It made me happy to know Splinter trusted me. _

_"…_Thanks." I said bashfully. "I think.. being their mother…" I paused to pat Mikey's head and smile at his brothers. "…Would be amazing."

_It truly would be. _

_After that, we all left the kitchen and moved to the Dojo._

_ It was time. The moment I had been waiting for all night had finally arrived!_

"Arinna, it is now the time for you to choose your choice of weapon. You already hold skill and promise to any of the ones I have shown you. You Photographic memory allows you to learn quickly." Splinter announced, staring at me as he placed all of his weapons on the ground before me. "You have done well in the past five months, learning the basics of Ninjitsu." He continued.

Staring at the weapons I glanced up at Splinter nervously.

"However, a ninja must be one with their weapon. Which is why I ask that you choose which one you shall wish to continue with and master."

"What will happen if I master it?" I inquired. _There were so many weapons. How was I going to choose? _

Splinter smiled. "Then perhaps at that time, we shall move onto another. Fore although the hand work comes easy to you, the foot work will not."

I grimaced at the thought and nodded. "So… I just choose which ever one I would be most comfortable with?"

"Precisely."

I smiled, looking towards the weapons excitedly. _I can finally truly begin my training! But which one should I choose_? _Oh gosh, this was so intense. What if I pick on that is super hard and I wont be able to master it?! That would be so embarrassing. _

At the moment, one weapon in particular caught my interest more then the others.

"…The bow." I said slowly, reaching out to lift it up, along with the bag of arrows. _It reminded me of my mother and made my heart ache. Yet at the same time, it gave me courage. _

"This one." I held it up for him to see.

"The bow and arrows it shall be then." My master, my friend, smiled kindly at me.

I grinned back. "Thank you, Master Splinter." We bowed to each other.

**And we're done! Sorry if this chapter seemed a little rush. I may not be able to update till the weekend, sorry! I have a lot of band stuff going on right now. Hope you don't mind!**

**ALSO! A lot of you said that you wanted a second story based on when the turtles were teens. Well I'm happy to say I made that story! CHAPTER ONE IS ALREADY UP! It is called Father Mother and four little teens!**

**Hope you can all check it out. And don't worry, I wont be ending this fanfic any time soon either! :D**


	12. I will dance For You, Mama!

**_YEAH! New chapter! Sorry this took longer than usual to update. School is coming up soon 0.0 _**

_Breath deeply. _

_Concentrate._

_Don't think about the Readers. _

_Let the thoughts flow. _

_Relax your body. _

_Ignore the audience currently standing before you. The exact same audience who better have read the beginning message from the Author or they might get angry… or happy… or somewhere in the middle. _

_Focus on meditating. _

_They're still there. _

_Become one with the universe._

_They are staring at you. _

_Focus. Focus._

_Yup, still there. _

_Focus! Focus-!  
Dang it! Come on people, why are you staring at me?! I'm trying to mediate here and you just come strollin in like ya own the place. I mean, it's not like we have a locked door stopping you, but still. You could…knock on the wall or something. _

_Well, whatever, come on it, sit down. You can mediate with me or something. _

_…No? You don't wanna meditate. Why not? It's very relaxing. _

_…Oh, you wanted to come for the next part of the story. Okay, I'm fine with that. So, where did I last leave off? _

_Oh yeah! Me choosing my weapon. The trusty bow! I love my weapon. I've named it and everything. _

_His name is Ven, and he's the bestest friend you could have! Much better then Bo, the stupid staff. Ven is actually nice to me, unlike Bo. _

_I'm also really getting the hang on this training thing. I'm still working on my aim, but the hand work with my weapon is a piece of cake!_

_Splinter has been great to. He is a really amazing teacher and has already taught me so much. I feel like I'm really beginning to improve. _

_Yup, everything was great!_

A soft sound of steps from behind me caught my attention.

I jumped a bit, feeling something grab the back of my shirt. Looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened at the sight of Raphael standing before me.

He was 11 months old right now, and had begun to fully walk on his own. He still stumbled from time to time and had to hold my hand when we went for walks in the sewers, but he could stand on his own for a long time without any one helping him.

"Hello Raphael." I smiled, moving to sit in front of him. Blinking at me, still not able to talk, he moved to sit in my lap. Gladly welcoming him, I patted the back his shell when he leaned into my stomach. "What are you doing in the dojo?" I inquired with a smile.

He looked up at me, sucking his thumb.

Chuckling, I reached down and took his hands into mine. "Well hello." I said in a squeaky voice, lifting Raphael's left hand and making him wave.

He smiled a bit. He loved it when I played 'Raphael puppet' with him.

"My name is, RAPHAEL!" I waved his arms around wildly, making him giggle. "I like to dance." I moved his arms in a dancing motion. "And I dance, and dance, and dance all day long! My brothers like to dance too." Lifting him up so that he stood on his legs, I continued to dance with him. "I dance with Arinna all day long." I got to my knees to make it a little easier and danced with him.

He smiled widely up at me.

_Gosh I adored his smile. No, I worshipped his smile. I would gladly fall to my knees and bow to him, kissing his feet if it meant that he would grin at me. I had similar feelings for Raphael's brothers too. _

_Just looking at them warmed my heart in a way I never thought imaginable. _

Reaching forward, I placed my hands under Raph's arms and lifted him up towards the ceiling, stretching my arms out to hold him high above my head. Waving his arms around, he looked down at me and reached his hands out, babbling some random nonsense.

_I loved this little bundle of joy in my arms. I love him and his brothers so much I could hardly stand it. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and just fly away. _

Lowering my arms I pressed my forehead to Raphael's. "I love you Raphael." I murmured. With wide bright green eyes, the small turtle leaned a little closer, placing his little hands on my cheeks and kissing my nose.

I chuckled a bit, kissing his nose right back. He spazzed into a fit of giggles, rubbing his nose. (Quick note: S_o, I thought since Arinna loves to sing to the boys, and they really enjoy her singing, I was going to have Arinna sing once either every chapter or every two chapters! Yay!)_

_"_Do you want to hear a song?' I asked, looking up at him. The light above him almost made him look like a baby angel. Though, Raphael was far from angel like when it came to how he treated his brothers. Often teasing or hitting them out of nowhere.

I knew it was his way of showing affection to them, but sadly, they didn't know that. At least, not yet.

Raphael titled his head, grabbing my finger. "I'm taking that as a yes." I mused, tilting my head back at him. Taking a big breath, I leaned back to fall lay on the floor, holding Raphael above me.

"When life leaves you high and dry I'll be at your door tonight if you need help, if you need help." I began to sing softly, my voice barely higher than a whisper. "I'll shut down the city lights. I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe, to make you well. To make you well." I bounced him a bit, making him laugh.

(_This little song is called, Gone Gone Gone by Phillips Phillips for those who don't know it. _)

"When enemies are at your door, I'll carry you away from war if you need help. If you need help." Bringing him down, I kissed his snout again. "Your hope dangling by a string, I'll share in your suffering, to make you well. To make you well." Sitting up, I jumped to my feet. Holding him out, I spun around the room, dancing with him. Raph waved his arms around to the song, clapping wildly.

"Give my reasons to believe, that you would do the same for me." I grinned at him. "And I would do it for you, for youuu. Baby I'm not moving on, I'll love you long after you're gone. For you, for you." Taking his hand with mine I danced slowly, as if we were slow dancing together.

"You will never sleep alone, I'll love you long after you're gone. I'll love long after you're gone, gone, gone." Holding him close, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.

Raphael didn't seem to mind and snuggled his head closely to my neck.

I hadn't even realized that the dojo door were slightly open, my sensei peeking in with a soft smile. Though I'm sure if I had noticed, I wouldn't have cared.

Suddenly squealing at the warm feeling in my heart I squished my cheek against Raphael's, rubbing our faces against each other. "I love you so much!"

Raphael kissed my cheek and I returned it back, carrying him in my arms and out of the room. When we entered the living room I could see Splinter in the kitchen, making himself Tea.

If I had noticed him peeking into the dojo a little bit earlier, I would have questioned how he possibly got to the kitchen so fast. But, as we all know, I didn't notice him looking into the dojo.

"Hello Splinter." I smiled as I approached, feeling Raphael begin to tug on my hair. Not really minding, I continued to speak. "I'm finished with my meditation. I can watch the kids so you can meditate as well." I offered.

Taking a sip of his tea, he smiled. "Thank you for the offer Arinna, however, I shall not be meditating today. I have something else planned.."

"Oh?" I titled my head slightly in the direction Raphael suddenly tugged a strand on my hair. "What is that?"  
"I will be heading off for a few hours. I wish to explore more of the tunnels." He announced

"So, I'll still be looking after the kids?" I smirked.

"Yes."

"Well okay then. Just make sure you come back soon and don't get lost." I shook my finger at him.

With a small nod, Splinter rose to his feet. "I shall return within the next two hours." He promised moving to the exit of the subway terminal.  
"Pick up some milk while you are gone." I joked. Glancing over his shoulder at me, Splinter shook his head.

Grinning innocently I waved goodbye. I watched his back until he disappeared around the corner, leaving the boys and me alone.

…_Wait a minute… we were alone._

"Thus with the Rat man gone, the kids look at one another, smirking." I monologue, though the boys just looked at me confused. "For when the rat is gone, it is the kids time to play!" I cheered. _Though I'm not a kid. I'm a young adult, there is HUGE difference. _

"DANCE PARTY!" I cheered. It was about time I taught these little tots how to dance! The four, now all on their feet, stumbled around, staring at me as I began to dance.

"Alright boys." I began to clap to get a beat going. Leo stared at my hands, trying to mimic what I was doing, but had trouble keeping the beat.

His brothers tried to do the same, and all smiled, regardless whether or not they messed up.

"Here we go." I mused, clearing my throat. _I never finished my song I was singing Raphael in the other room. It would be rude to only sing the first verse. _

"When you fall like a statue I'm gon' be there to catch you, put you on your feet. You on your feet." Rushing forward, I grabbed Michelangelo's hand just as he began to stumble. I held him regain his balance, and smiled at him. "And if your well is empty, not a thing will prevent me, tell me what you need." Kneeling down, I looked Donatello in the eyes. "What do you need?"

The four walked towards me, stomping wildly and swaying back and forth to my song. "I surrender honestly." I practically sighed at them. "You've always done the same for me. So I would do it for you! For you!" Reached forward I poke Mikey's side, making him giggle.

I poked out at the four of them. "Baby I'm not moving on, I love you long after you're gone. For you! For you!" They all burst out into fits of laughter as I tickled their sides, scrambling to get away.

They ran (More like stumbled) away from me, hoping to escape my tickling.

"You would never sleep alone, I love you long after your gone. And long after your gone gone gone." Crawling on my hands and knees after them, I reached for Donatello when he came into reach.

He shrieked when I wrapped my arms around his middle, pulling him back into my arms. "Got'cha!" I paused from the song to tickle his sides and kiss his stomach.

He squeaked and giggled, kicking his little legs in attempts to flee. After a few second I placed him on the ground and he ran to go hide.

"You're my back bone." I grinned, remembering that I was singing before and going back to the final verse. "You're my corner stone." I grabbed Leonardo, holding him in my arms. Sticking his tongue out, he made weird faces at me. With a small chuckle, I grabbed Michelangelo with my other hand. "You're my crutch when my legs stop moving. You're my head start, you're my rugged heart." I hugged them close, placing several kisses on their head.

Mikey began to whine after a while, as if trying to tell me that I was giving him too many kisses. With a chuckle, I looked to my left to see Donatello holding onto my shirt sleeve. He grinned sheepishly, hiding his face in my shirt.

"You're the pulse that I always needed." Looking forward, Raphael stood before me. His eyes were narrowed, his arms folded stubbornly. Smiling warmly at him, I leaned a little closer to him. "Like a drum baby don't stop beating." He frowned a bit, looking away. "Like a drum baby don't stop beating." Glancing back at me, his eyes widened curiously. "Like a drum baby don't stop beating." I quickly leaned forward giving him a little kiss on the nose. "Like a drum my heart never stops beating."

I grinned so wide, I thought my face just might fall off. After I kissed his nose Raphael rushed forward, squishing between Leo and Mikey to give me a hug, hiding his face in my shirt.

"For you! For you! Baby I'm not moving on, I love you long after you're gone! For you! For you! You would never sleep alone, I love you long after your gone gone gone. I love you long after your gone… gone… gone." Holding them all as close as I could I shut my eyes and enjoyed the silence of the moment.

The boys were clinging to my tightly, small grins pulling on their lips.

It was a perfect moment. Nothing could ruin it.

_GROWL  
_Opening my eyes in surprise, I frowned at Mikey, who was holding his stomach innocently.

"Hungry?" I guessed, poking his tummy. He stepped back, hiding his face in embarrassment, peeking out at me from between his fingers. Slowly smiling, he looked towards the kitchen.

With a chuckle, I moved to stand up. "Alright, it is close to lunch time anyway." I mused.

Walking towards the kitchen, the boys followed behind slowly.

"…Ma…."

I paused, looking to Leonardo, who was pulling on my pant leg. Looking down at him, I blinked.  
"…What?"

"Ma….Ma…"

My eyes widened, my hand flying to my mouth in shock. Slowly I bent down to Leo, cupping his face.

"…What did you just say?" I asked softly.

Leonardo grinned. "Mama!" hugging my hand, he bounced a bit, over-joyed.

_Did he… did he just…!?_

_O-Oh my gosh. He did! He spoke! Leonardo said her first words! And… And they were 'mama'. Wait a minute, was he talking to me? Was Leo talking to me? _

_"_Mama." Leo stepped forward, wanting to be hugged. Too shocked, I held let him hug me, my arms limp.

Slowly feeling myself laugh, I brought my hand up to his shell. "C-Can you say it again? Can you say 'Mama'?" I asked, my voice rising with excitement.

Leo blinked, clapping his hands to an uneven beat. "…Mama."

"Hah… Haha! T-That's right! Mama! That's me! Well I mean… no- yeah! That is me!" I scooped him up, holding him high into the air. "Leo!" I cheered. "You said your first word!" Brining him close, I pressed my forehead to his. "Good boy. You're a very very good boy."

_I can't believe it! And his voice, KYAh, his voice! It is so high pitched and cute! _

Holding him out, I asked again. "Can you say it again? Can you say, 'Mama?"  
"Mama!" Leo threw his arms.

**AWWW! LEO! Oh, by the way, Sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed or anything. I didn't feel like it was when I was writing it, but then I went back over it and I got the 'it might be rushed' feeling. I dunno. Hope you liked it! :D  
**

**TMNT, or Gone Gone Gone by Phillips Phillips does not belong to me! **


	13. Hello little motorcycle

_Ladada lada, ladadaDaDAA! I just found, the coolest thing ever~! Oh yes it is true, it is all mine. Cause people left it, over by that sign. Have I crossed the line? Oh no I haven't, cause this thing was, over in that dump! _

_Ladada lada, ladada-AAHHHHHH!_

_Oh my gosh! Would you people stop it! I'm serious! Stop appearing out of no where! It is so creepy and I swear you are going to give me a heart attack! Especially you, there in the front. Yeah you, the one right there. I'm pointing at you now. _

_You people just come and go as you please, don't ya? Well stop it, it scares people! More specifically, me!_

_How in the world did you get in here anyway?_

_…You repelled through the ceiling? Oh uh… okay. I hope you realize that YOU, will be the one to fix my ceiling. Yes I am serious- Wait no!_

_Stop distracting me and leave!_

_…What? You want to know what I am doing? Why do you want to know? I mean, just because you people see me doesn't mean I'm going to tell you everything that is going on. _

_…Don't give me that look. I'm not telling you. No, I'm serious, stop with the looks. I mean it! _

_… Ah! Alright, I'll tell you. Just stop with your judging gazes! You jerks!_

_Since you people wont quit, I will tell you. _

_It has been at least 11 months and… a half? Yeah, it is around the middle of the month I think. Anyway, it has been a while since I found the turtles and Master Splinter. _

_Things have been going great, as I've told you before. Don't really want to repeat the same thing over and over again, right? Yeah, so today, we needed more supplies. _

_So I took off to the nearest dump. Everything went pretty normal, like any usual dump visit I would have. Until suddenly, I spotted it. _

_It was old, but it looked to be in amazing shape. I couldn't even comprehend how people could throw this away!_

_It was, please give me a drum roll someone randomly in the Readers, A MOTORCYCLE! Can you believe that?! _

_I can't exactly tell you what type or style motorcycle it is, cause I'm not the best when it comes to them. _

_I remember when I was younger, my mom worked in a large mechanic shop. She would get different types of cars and motorcycles everyday that she would fix up. _

_She even brought my Brother and me in once on bring you kids to work day. I may have been little at that time, but I've never forgotten what she did to fix those machines up. _

_So, it stands to reason, if I just got the right parts, which this thing didn't seem to be missing too many of, I should be able to fix it up. Maybe even take it for a spin?_

_That sounds logical, right? _

_Oh, don't question my logic. It is rude to do that when someone is telling a story. Just go along with it and your life will become 10 times easier! _

_Anyway, I bet you are wondering, how am I going to get this thing into the sewers? Well, I'll let you know, I have learned the error of my ways since I brought down Master Splinter's mattress from his house. There are actually larger tunnels throughout New York City that I can sneak into for easy access. _

_I still question why I didn't think of that before. Oh well, I shouldn't live in the past. _

_So, back to where I am now! … Trying to convince Splinter to let me keep it. _

_"_You found a Motorcycle." Splinter repeated, staring at it blankly.

"Yes." I nodded.

"You also intend to fix it up so that you may, ride it?" Splinter continued.

"Yes." Another nod.

"…Can you even do such a task?"

"Of course I can. I've seen it done!" I grinned.

"You also said you saw your brother fix a circuit board." He reminded me. I flinched, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly.

"Well... that was different. I didn't have all the right parts for that. A Motorcycle can't even start with out all the right parts, so there should be now way I really get this wrong." _I think. I could be wrong, but I wont tell him that._

"You truly believe you can fix it?"

"Yeah." I patted the seat, smiling.

"What will you do when you have fixed it?" His voice was oddly serious.

"…Ride it." I said slowly, as if the answer was obvious.

'Do you own a license? Have any experience?"

I bit my bottom lip, considering my answer carefully. "I do not own a license, no. Probably never will." I said slowly with small nods. "I do have a bit of experience though. My brother owned a motorcycle and let me drive it around in the alleyways."

_Granted… I had crashed into a few trash cans during the time, but I have much more steady and capable hands now. _

Splinter didn't look convinced and folded his arms. He gave me this look that said, 'Give me one good reason why I should allow this'.

_Let me all explain something to you all really quick though. After my brother disappeared a few years ago, I've never been one to take orders. I will do favors, I will take suggestions, but if you start ordering my around like a small child… oh no, no no no. We're going to have some problems if you start doing that. _

_And recently… I've begun to notice Splinter treating my like that. He gives me these looks sometimes, as if he is tempted to ground me or scold me how he would the boys. Not that they would really understand what grounding is right now; they are still really little. _

_I know Splinter is older than me, and my sensei, but he is not the boss of me. I respect him deeply, but I will not stand for it if he tries to boss me around. It is one thing to have an argument as equals, it is another to treat the other like a baby. _

_And right now, he has been leaning towards the 'I'm talking to a baby' attitude. _

"It will help me get around faster and also help with carrying heavier object." I announced quickly, keeping my voice calm as I stared at him. "You know I don't really like making dozens of trips for supplies."

As if sensing the tension in my voice, Splinter nodded. "I see. I understand your point well, but I must ask that you at least take a few hours driving down here before you move up to the streets."

"Fair enough point." I chuckled, my shoulders relaxing.

_More and more of these awkward moments had been happening between us. It was as if Splinter couldn't decide to treat me as an adult, which is what I was, or a child, which is what I am not!_

_It is really annoying. I wish he would just say what is on his mind clearly and stop giving me those…looks. It was just how my father looked at me when I was eight. _

_Not saying I don't appreciate how Splinter worries, but I've been living on my own long enough to know what I am doing. _

_…Don't give me that look. _

With that thought in mind, I pushed the motorcycle towards my room, leaning it against the wall to work on it later when I found all the proper tools and parts.

Hopefully none of the parts required would be too hard to find. _Hey, maybe when I got this thing working, I could let the boys drive it! When they are older, that is. _

Speaking of the boys…

Diving into the living room, I snuck quietly towards their rooms. Creaking open my eldest son's door, I peeked it to find him coloring random scribbles on some paper.

Opening the door, I grinned when he looked towards the sound. "Leo, Leo, Leo!' I cheered, bending down to the ground. Leo grinned, pushing himself up to his feet to slowly walk towards me, his arms extended out for balance.

"Mama!" he grinned.

I cheered, scooping him up into my arms. "You said it again!"

"Ma-ma." He smiled, hiding his face in my shoulder to hug me tightly.

Smiling lovingly, I stroked the back of his head. "I'm home Leo." He giggled joyfully as I placed him back on the ground. As soon as his little feet touched the ground he grabbed my pant leg, tugging on it insistently.

"What is it?" I inquired.

"Mama… mama!' he squeaked, yanking harder, as if he wanted to show me something. Humoring him, I stepped forward. He pulled me all the way back to his picture, where he lifted it up for me to see.

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what it was suppose to be, but it was cute.

"That is very good Leo!" I praised, making him grin. Reaching down, I kissed Leo's forward. "My little artist!"

_…Hmm, Leonardo… Leonardo Da Vinci. That's ironic. _

With a shrug, I dropped to my knees, laying on my stomach to draw some pictures with Leo.

However, my mind kept wandering back to my new found motorcycle. I couldn't wait to get it to start working.

_Well, now that I think back to it, I'm sure I could have waited. _

_I could have waited to get other parts, to double check to make sure it was safe or… even to walk it out more into the sewers so I didn't drive into anything. Yeah, I ran into something's on the first time._

_As soon as I collected all the parts I need, which was like the biggest scavenger hunt ever, by the way, I began to put the bike together. _

From what I remembered with my brother and Mom, it wasn't too hard at first. The closer I looked though I realized my memory alone wouldn't be enough to fix this thing up.

So I found this book.

_"A Moron's Guide to Fix a Motorcycle."_

That thing was really easy to understand, I was deeply surprised!

Anyway though, me being a moron shall be put to the side for now. It had taken me almost two weeks, but I finally got all the parts together and fixed up the bike.

The boys even came in everyone once and a while to see what I was doing. I didn't let me near any of the tools, obviously, but I still let them watch.

They didn't really seem to understand what I was doing though. I didn't really expect them too either.

Out of all of them, Raphael seem the most interested. Though he was only an 11 month old, he really seemed intrigued with the motorcycle.

It was so cute how he kept trying to get past me so he could look at the motorcycle, or how he wanted to help by handing me a wrench.

Though the wrench was much too heavy for him.

And together with Raphael's help, we were able to complete the motorcycle. All that was left was to see if it would start.

So when the boys were asleep, I lifted my self onto it and attempted a few times to start it.

The first time was a no go, but sometimes that happens.

The second time, my hopes began to die out.

However, as the saying goes, the third times the charm! And what do you know, it started!

Shocked, I grinned wildly down at the motorcycle. "IT WORKS!" I cheered, pumped my fists in the air. Laughing like a maniac, I reached for the handles, checking for any signs that something was wrong with the bike.

_Now, some would think, 'Oh, she is going to turn it off now and test it in the tunnels… right?"_

_…No. _

Apparently I was especially stupid today, because I pulled back on the throttle… in my room. My slightly small and enclosed room.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed wildly as the motorcycle shot forward, ramming straight into my book shelf. Falling to my side, I winced when my shoulder hit the ground.

_Oh, but it doesn't stop there. _

As soon as I hit the ground, I looked up just in time to see my book shelf fall forward, landing on top of me. I screamed again.

A few seconds later, there was the sound of rushing foot steps.

Splinter must have heard the crashes and rushed into my room, calling my name. "Arinna? Are you alright?!" He yelled, throwing the door open.

From beneath my books and wood, I lifted a shaky finger to reply. "Note to self. Never test Motorized vehicles in an enclosed area."

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, you sneaky readers you XD Sorry if it was short! **


	14. I am not a child! So I burn your bacon!

_**Hey guys! So, just a quick note, this chapter takes place when the boys are 9. I couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I just HAD to write it down. **_

_**So I may do this a lot later on where I skip to different points in the boys lives. :D**_

_**Here we go!**_

_Hello random audience. Now, in the past times you've come to me, I told you many different stories of when the turtles were little tiny tots. _

_However, I would like change it up a bit. Tell you about what happened nine years into the future from where we just left off. _

_The boys were growing up quickly and were already nine years old. _

_Oh how the time flew. They had already begun to grow so big and officially started their training a few years back. _

_They all had such raw talent that I could just stare at them in awe. _

_Where my little mini story begins though; I had only recently turned 27 and was taking a stroll through beautiful New York. _

I walked through the streets with a content smile. I didn't know what it was, but I love walking through the streets of New York when it was dark.

The worry of being mugged and such didn't bother me much anymore since I began to train under Splinter. Not saying I'm an 'oh so amazing Ninja' or anything yet. I still had a long way to go honestly.

But I could definitely defend myself now.

I had Splinter to thank for that. He was a great Sensei and friend that I could always rely on.

_I didn't realize at the time though that Splinter's and I relationship would change… for the worse. _

_You see, on that faithful night I had run into a little trouble. Just a few blocks from home, right before I was about to enter the sewers, I heard screaming. _

Rushing to see what the problem was I looked into the ally way to find several goons surrounding a middle aged women.

"Hand over your purse Lady." one guy sneered, pulling out his gun. The four men surrounded the frightened older women, who backed up against the wall fearfully.

My eyes narrowed.

_Those jerks. Picking on the weak and pulling out a gun on a lady. _

All these crooks were the same. They came in numbers and always striked at someone who couldn't defend themselves. It was sick.

My older brother had always taught me to defend those weaker than you and stick up for the little guy, and that it was the little guy that would back you up in the end.

"Hey." I stepped out, making them jump. With my hood over my eyes the men squinted to see my face.

"What you want, freak?" One grumbled.

"Yeah, nothing to see here. Just run along." Another scoffed.

Stepping forward, I cracked my knuckles. "How about you jerk-faces step away from the nice lady?"

_…Did that sound cool? Oh I bet that sounded cool! XD Well, maybe I should have changed my insult to some thing more professional. Like dirt bags or something?_

_Too late to change it now. _

"You don't want to start this dude." One warned.

Bending my knees, I got in a defensive stance. "You're right. So I suggest you all walk away before things go ugly."

They laughed, motioning for one to step forward. Walking cockily over to me, he sneered into my face.

"Oh? Is that a threat?"

"Well, yes actually." I nodded.

He cackled, shoving me.

I almost stumbled back, but held my ground. "…Don't shove me." I warned.

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?" he shoved me again.  
"I'm serious." I glared at him. "Just walk away now. I swear I wont hit you as long as you don't hit me first." I held up a scouts honor.

"What are you, five?" one in the background joked.

"27." I corrected.

"You're a little small to be 27." The guy held his hand over my head, measuring my height before he brought his hand down to smack me to the side. Reacting quickly, I grabbed his wrist, holding it firmly in place.

_I was not small!_

Surprised, the good struggled to pull his hand away. "What the-"

"I warned you not to hit me." I grumbled, elbowing him in the gut, knocking him to the ground.

His goon friends gawked in shock, looking at each other.  
"Well, don't just stand there!' The leader of the group commanded. "Get him!"

Four of the five good rushed forward. Jumping up I side swiped the first approaching gang member before landing and flipping the second one over my shoulder.

The other two hesitated at first before charging me. Ducking down when one punched, I shot my fist up, connecting it under his chin. He gagged and stumbled back into the trash cans.

The final gang member leapt up behind me. Yanking back my hood, the guy froze when my hair cascaded down my back and I turned to look at him.

"Holy- it's a chick!" the guy announced. Looking to him, I kicked my foot out, taking his legs out. Falling on his back, he groaned in pain.

"So what if I am?" I placed my hands on my hips.

The four gang members on the ground stumbled to their feet.  
"This chick is crazy!" One squeaked.

"Boss!" they turned to their leader, who sighed and reached into his jacket.

"Bunch of morons." He lifted out a gun. The women they had attacked early, who seemed frozen to the wall and was watching the whole thing, screamed at the sight of the metal weapon.

"If ya want something done, ya gotta do it yourself." He pointed the gun at me.

Gasping, I ducked down just in time for it to miss my chest. That didn't stop the piercing pain the cut through the side of my right shoulder.

_Ah! He clipped me!_

Rushing forward, the man jumped at my sudden speed. He hadn't enough time to try and shot again before I leapt up, kneeing him straight in the face. Falling on his back, I placed my knee on his chest and snatched his gun away.

"You shouldn't play with toys young man." I scolded, stepping off him to take the bullets out of the gun. Letting them fall between my fingers, I watched as they hit the ground.  
"Dude, lets get out of here." A few of the others yelled, rushing out of the alley way. The rest, including their boss, who had a broken nose, soon followed.

Grinning in victory, I tossed the empty gun into the trash can.

_Guns, they were such disgusting things sometimes. _

"Oh my goodness are you alright?" the women who had been attacked earlier gasped, rushing to me.

Holding my shoulder tightly, I winced. Moving my hand I bit, I could see a clear hole through the edge of my arm. The bullet must have cut straight through all the tissue and muscles and straight out the other side. Luckily it was on the very end on my shoulder.

"I'm fine, it is just a scratch." I held up my hand reassuringly.

"B-But- you're bleeding!" she argued.

"Ma'am it is okay, really. I'll get help as soon as I know you're home safely." I nudged her forward watching her move out of the alley and towards her front door to the apartment building she was living at.

"I can't just leave you here." She frowned.

"There is a hospital right down the street, I'll go there." I assured her, waving a bit.

Looking hesitant, she slowly took out her keys and opened the door. "Young lady I-"

When she turned around, I was gone.

Well, not gone gone, but out of sight. I was crouching down behind a few trash cans.

_…. Don't you judge my hiding spot. _

Hearing the women gasp, I heard her walk back down the steps a bit before they stopped. She must have thought better of it and rushed back up to the door, moving inside.

When I heard the door close, I lifted myself up and smiled.

_Mission accomplished! Take that you goons! Picking on old ladies, I think not! I hope that taught you a lesson not to mess with me! You jerk face! Haha- Ow! Ow, ow, ow._

I winced at the tight pain in my upper arm from the bullet wound. Looking to it, I frowned.

_Oh man… how was I going to explain this to Master Splinter? Maybe I could just hide it for a while?_

_…No, that wouldn't work. He's got eyes in the back of his head. Besides, one should never lie to their friends, ever. _

_And Splinter was my best friend. He was family too, and you it against family code to lie to them. _

_Though, a lot of people do that now a days. _

So, I began my little journey home. It was a little difficult to get down the ladder into the sewers, but once I did it was good.

The rest of the way home basically just a little walking and turning from time to time.

When I finally reached the old terminal that became our home, I glanced at the clock I hung on the wall a few years back.

It was at least 11 Pm.

_Good, the boys would be asleep at this point. No need freaking them out. _

Moving carefully across the lair, I paused when Splinter called to me.  
"You are back." He greeted, exiting the dojo. I flinched, slowly straightening. My back was to him, so he could clearly see I was holding my shoulder.

"…Yup." I squeaked.

_I was so gonna die. _

Examining me closer, my older friend could see the gash and small trail of blood running down my arm.

"What happened?" Splinter's eyes widened, rushing to my aid.

"Got into a pinch, it is just a scratch." I mumbled, giving him a weak smile.

"This is not just a scratch." He argued, grabbing my good arm to lead me to the dojo. I didn't argue at first and let him drag me there. He saw me down in the center and rushed to grab some bandages ad disinfectint.

"How did this occur?" he demanded as he cut off the part of my shirt around my shoulder to examine the wound.

"There were these gang members. They were attacking this old lady. One of them clipped me." I shrugged a bit. He frowned, placing a firm hand on my shoulder so I wouldn't move it anymore.

_It was weird how gentle Splinter could be sometimes. _

_I mean, he was always so graceful and powerful when training. He could probably break my skull with a single power. _

_To think that such a powerful being could also have such care, it was truly amazing. _

"And you fought them alone?" Splinter questioned, his tone sounding a bit odd.

"Well, it wasn't like you could come with me." I titled my head at him as he began to disinfect my arm. I winced at the burning sensation.

Splinter sighed, nodding his head. "Yes, that is right. However, this was reckless Arinna. What if he hadn't just 'clipped' you?"  
_Although he had a point, I don't think Master Splinter gave me enough credit. _

_"_It is okay Master Splinter." I assured with a warm smile. "You taught me everything I know after all."  
Glancing at me, he slowly smiled, but it quickly faded as he examined the wound closely.

It hadn't taken him too long to bandage it up. Luckily it would heal quickly and I could get back to training soon.

For the boys sake though I hid the wound with long sleeves. I didn't want them panicking over me getting injured or anything like that.

_However, the next day, I began to notice something odd. Splinter seemed to get suddenly super strict with what I did. _

_He wouldn't let me leave the lair. _

_It wasn't like he forced me, but he kept brining up reasons to make me stay. _

_Such as the boys wanted me, he wished to meditate for me, Mikey was suddenly super hungry, though my son hadn't said so himself, it was Splinter who announced it. _

_Maybe it was just my imagination? All I know though is that the next day, I didn't leave the lair once. _

_A lot of things like that occurred in the next couple days. I had barely left the lair more than five minutes the whole week before I was suddenly called back again. _

_It isn't like I didn't like spending time at home, but I need to go shopping and get some fresh air too. I was human, we need clean oxygen, not sewer oxygen. _

I put up it though for almost two weeks before I realized that we need groceries. My shoulder had really begun to heal up nicely as well and it didn't hurt to move it anymore.

So a simple shopping trip that would probably last 15 minutes tops isn't much, right?

Yeah, you would think that.

_So around Wednesday night, around 2 in the morning, I woke up to going shopping. _

_Now I know what you are thinking. "Why would Arinna go at 2 in the morning?"_

_Well dear friends, the reason I go at that time is because there are no crowds. Plus, no one is really around to see me sneak all that good back into the sewers!_

_So, darkness was a good thing. _

Lifting my hand up to brush down a strand of hair, I adjusted my jacket. I was all set and ready to go. _I had been super careful not to wake up the boys as I gathered my stuff. _

_Sometimes though, my 'super quiet' skills, didn't work out so well. _

"Where do you think you are going?" Splinter demanded, suddenly appearing from the dojo.

I jumped, not expecting him to be up. "Oh, out." I blinked. He sounded angry for some reason.

_Oh gosh, did I forget to put on pants or something?!_

Quickly looking down, I was relived to find that I did in fact have pants on, so there was no need to worry.

_Oh but wait, that doesn't explain why he is made. Did I forget to bring him his tea? No, I did that. Blow out all the lights again? No. Maybe the boys tracked mud and… other things, into his Dojo again?_

"Why? Where to?" He narrowed his eyes.

Pulling up the sleeves on my jacket, I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what could possibly be wrong.

"To get some fresh hair and to get groceries. Y'know, by that little store about a few blocks from here. The one that sells the cute little bunny shaped cookies." Feeling that would be enough, I turned and began to walk towards the lair exit.

"No. No groceries." Splinter called to me.

"I'll only be gone 10 minutes, 15 tops, it's not a big deal." I laughed over my shoulder. 'Besides we need groceries-"

"You are forbidden to leave!" Splinter ordered.

I froze, my foot held mid air, hovering over the ground before I took my next step. Slowly lowering it, I turned around.

_…Did he just… _

_"_What did you just say?" I asked, my voice low.

"Until I deem you capable enough, you are forbidden to go up to the surface." Splinter explained, folding his arms behind his back.

…_Oh no. Oh NO he didn't! _

_"_Excuse me?" I frowned, insulted.

_I find myself a pretty even-tempered, usually mellow, unless hyper, person. I can take a lot of hardships and insults, but if there is one thing that gets under my skin more than anything out there… it is when people try to tell me what to do. _

_That or treating my like a child. _

_Both of these things is what Splinter was doing now. _

"What do you mean I'm 'forbidden'?" I scoffed, turning back to glare at him, trying to keep my voice even.

"You were only recently injured." Splinter didn't back down. "You are unprepared to go up by yourself."

"Unpre- What?" I couldn't even finish the word because it sounded so ridiculous. "I've spent the past two years on the streets by myself, a little scratch is nothing!"

"A scratch? You had a bullet in your arm." Splinter raised his voice, his anger growing.

"Correction, the bullet went through my arm." I pointed out.

"All the more reason."

"Lots of people get bullet wounds in their lives!" _Okay, that didn't really back me up in anyway, but I couldn't just stand there and say nothing._

"As your Sensei-"

"Whoa!" I held up my hands to stop him. "Don't you even _dare _bring that into the conversation. In _there _you are my Sensei!" I pointed to the Dojo. "Out here I am your friend and equal, not some child you can order around."

Splinter narrowed his eyes. "You are not leaving."

"Yes, I am." I growled, turning to leave. Before I could get even 5 steps away, my arm was suddenly grabbed from behind. Not expecting the attack, I was whirled around, my arms pinned behind my back.

"You would be dead right now if I were an enemy." Splinter, my attacker, hissed in my ear. Wincing at the pain in my shoulder, I flipped my legs back, taking out his legs, knocking him back. At his lose of balance, I forced my hands out of his grip, and back around, pinning him down.

"And so would you." I glared down at him, my fist inches from his face. "Stop treating my like I'm 5, _Sensei." _I hissed out the words slowly.

Splinter narrowed his eyes, leaping back to his feet. "I will not allow you to leave."

It was only then that I noticed he was standing between me and the exit.

"Are- Oh my gosh," I threw my hands down in exasperation. "Are you serious? What is your problem Splinter?" I demanded.

"My 'problem'?" he questioned. "My problem Arinna is that you will not listen when you are told to do something."

"You aren't the boss of me." I announced. "I can take care of myself."

"Your abilities show clearly through your injuries."

"It was one injury Splinter! You can't tell me you've never been injured in your life!" I pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I have, but I had face more than simple 'thugs' to get mine."

"What are you trying to say?! That you have better reason for your injuries then mine? There was a women in danger Splinter? It didn't matter to me if there were hundreds of gang members attacking her."

"It should matter to you Arinna. You are an adult and mother now, you have responsibilities that are top priority to you."

"You don't think I know that? Of course I know I have responsibilities now. However, how am I suppose to complete those responsibilities, such as, grocery shopping, when you are standing in my way?! Jeez Splinter you are such a-"

"_Mom?"_

We both froze at the sound of a soft call coming from the bed rooms. We must have woken up one of the boys with out yelling.

Freezing mid sentence, I quickly smiled nervously towards the hallway.

Donnie stood at the steps, a small teddy bear clutched firmly in his grip while he rubbed the sand out of his eyes. "I had a nightmare." He whimpered.

My gaze softening at my baby's words, I glanced at Splinter. Narrowing them dangerously, I moved past him, barely whispering, "Well settle this later." I moved towards Donnie, lifting him into my arms.

He snuggled close, hugging his bear tightly.

"What sort of nightmare did you have sweet heart?" I asked softly, walking back down the hall towards Donnie's room.

"A bad one."

"Wanna talk about it?"

His bright red eyes glistened with un-shed tears, staring up at me. "I got taken by mean scientists who said you guys didn't want me anymore." He hiccupped.

"What? Mean scientists?" I gawked at him. "That would never happen. I would rather die than give you away Donatello." I hugged him close, carefully opening his door and moving towards his bed.

He wrapped his arms around me to hug me. "Really?"  
"Of course. The same for your brothers and Splinter. They would never want to give you away." I pulled away, lifting his chin so he would look at me.

Smiling he nodded as we sat down on the bed. "Would you like me to stay with you for a while?"

He nodded. "Yes please." With a grin, I moved to lay beside him in the bed.

Gently patting his shell, I hummed the lullaby my mom used to sing me. _Although I sang that lullaby to all my sons, it was Donnie who enjoyed it the most. _

_Perhaps since it was a song I sang to him during the first few days I found him? _

_I wasn't sure. _

After that, it didn't take long for Donnie to fall asleep… or myself. I actually feel asleep on that tiny little kid bed. My back was so soar the next morning that when I sat up my back popped so many times, I thought I broke it!

Anyway, the next morning, breakfast was terribly awkward. The boys seemed to notice the dread in the air and weren't as loud as they usually were in the mornings.

Splinter sat on his side of the table in silence, saying nothing as he watched me make breakfast.

I refused to talk to him.

_I sort of feel bad about it, and it was sort of childish, but I burnt his bacon a bit just to spite him. _

When I placed his plate in front of him without giving him eye contact, he narrowed his eyes at the bacon, most likely thinking how childish it was.

_Well Blah Splinter! I would be furious if you tried to give me burnt bacon you jerk!_

Sitting down on my spot, I looked towards the boys.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked with a small smile.

Visibly relaxing at hearing me speak, Leonardo nodded.

"Yes Mom." He nodded.

"I dreamt I was a big fish and ate Raph!" Mikey lifted his chubby little hand.

"You ate Raph?!" Donnie gawked at him in shock. "That's illogical."

"Not for Mikey the fish!"

Raph reached out to hit his little brother, glaring at him.

"What about you Donatello?" I looked to him. "Did you sleep well the rest of the night?"

He blushed a bit. "Yeah… thanks mom."

"Any time dear." I grinned.

"Any time for what?" Mikey blinked.  
"Nothing." Donnie flicked some egg at him, causing the two to glare at each other.

I chuckled a bit at the three, eating my eggs quickly. Clearing my throat I caught everyone's attention.

"Well, after breakfast I'm heading up to get some more groceries. Anyone need anything?" I could feel Splinter's glare on me, but I kept smiling.

"Cereal!" Mikey announced.

"Some more test tubes!" Donnie smiled.

"Spike needs more lettuce." Raph reached forward to pet his little turtle friend Spike on the head.

I nodded, looking at Leo. "Do you need anything Leonardo?"

He thought for a moment, shacking his head. "No, I'm good."

I nodded, patting his head. "Alright then, I got my list." I looked back down at my plate.

From his spot, Donnie frowned. "Aren't you going to ask Master Splinter what he needs?"

Pausing, I glanced at my third oldest, who was looking at me with wide innocent red eyes. With an inward sigh, I smiled.

"Oh yes, of course." I looked to Splinter, keeping my smile. "Do you need anything from the, _Surface, Splin-ter?"_ I asked in a sweet, yet wicked voice.

Splinter said nothing, putting on the best rat poker face I had ever seen. "We are running out of herbal tea." He announced.

"Oh really? Shame." I mused.

Leo looked between us both. Though we were both smiling and talking 'normally' the young turtle couldn't help but feel like something was off.

"Are… are you going to buy the herbal tea?" he asked, tilting his head at his mother.

"Not at all dear." I sounded so sweet and normal, Leo almost didn't notice that my words meant the opposite of what I sounded like.

_I was being such a jerk right now to Splinter, I sort of felt bad… yet it felt so good to rub it in his face at the same time!_

"…Why not?' Raph pulled on my sleeve a bit to catch my attention.

"Because herbal Tea makes you fat Raph." I explained, poking his nose.

"But Master Splinter drinks it all the time." Mikey looked at his Father confused.

"Yes he does." I nodded.

"Does that mean Master Splinter is fat?" Mikey covered his mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Yes he is." I squealed innocently, squishing Mikey's cheeks.

Splinter rose to his feet. "My morning meditation awaits.' He announced, glaring daggers at me.

I didn't flinch, watching him walk away.

_I may have been a jerk just now, hoping the boys didn't notice too much, but I didn't regret anything at the moment. Splinter wanted to treat me like a child, then I would let lose every 'child' like idea and thought I had. _

After that I went to the Grocery store and back without any problems. It was ridiculous how Splinter tried to 'forbid' me from leaving. What was he expecting me to do?

Stay down here for the rest of my life?

I don't think so!

_The next couple days didn't get any better. Splinter and me didn't speak to each other and rarely gave each other eye contact. _

_I think the boys were starting to get really worried. _

_It made me a little sad honestly. _

_…Splinter was… well, he was my best friend, so having such a big fight with him was emotionally draining. I didn't want the boys to be put in the middle of our fighting, and I honestly wished for things to go back to normal… but I refused to be the one to apologize. _

_I did nothing wrong. _

_Maybe I did though? I tried to think of things from Splinter's perspective, but he was just being too over protective. _

_True, I could have been more careful with the Gang members, but keeping me down in the sewers isn't going to change that. _

I came to the conclusion that I would at least try to talk with Splinter through this problem we were having. I would attempt to keep my cool, and hear him out.

Surely he would hear me out in return.

So, a week after out little quarrel began, I joined Splinter for mediation. We sat back to back, neither of us speaking at first.

"…Lets both just admit it…" I sighed, my eyes closed. "…This fight is stupid."

"I agree." Splinter spoke up after a short pause. "After a few days of thought, I have come to realize that I was… un-fair, in the way I treated you. You are indeed my friend and equal. You are no longer a child."

I nodded. "Then, I shall admit that I was reckless with how I handle the situation with my shoulder injury… but I couldn't just stand there and let that lady get hurt Spinter."

He was silent, saying nothing.

"I will never just stand there and let something like that happen." I announced, my voice soft and broken as I leaned my back against his. "I've… I've seen too many people hurt already."

He leaned his back fully against mine, as if to silently comfort me. "I understand that now Arinna."

There was another long pause between us.

"We need a compromise." I finally sighed.

"It appears that way." Splinter agreed.

"….I'm going to keep going to keep the surface, regardless of my shoulder or any other injury I may receive. I've lived up there for years, just as you have." I began, making sure to get my point across. "I've also had to spend a lot of time on my own."

Splinter let out a sigh. "Yes, I see now I can not let my fears stop you from living your life."

I frowned at that. "….Your… fears?" I asked slowly wanting to look over my shoulder at him. I forced myself to stay in my meditation pose though.

"Yes." Splinter said miserably. "After losing my family once already, I do not wish for that to happen again. I fear that if I let you go up to the surface, you would be put in danger and I cold not help you."

I felt my hand cover my mouth. So that was the reason.

"Splinter-"

"Please Arinna… let me speak."

Hesitant, I nodded. "Okay."

"You have become a dear friend to me Arinna. Family. We have laughed, argued, trained, and raised our sons, together. To lose another friend, another family I… I am not sure I could take that again."

_I understood how he felt. Oh gosh, I understood so well that it hurt. I had lost my mother, father, and brother. My whole family had been taken from me without warning, just as Splinter's had. _

_"_I…I'm so sorry I made you feel that way." I whispered.

"It is not your fault." He said quickly. "It is my own fear. I have to realize that if I continue to treat you in such a way, I will only push you away."

"…It is okay." I lifted myself up to my knees to turn and face him. He turned to face me as well. "To be honest… I mean, I know it sounds weird, but although I've been mad and fighting with you… deep down, I was sort of happy."

He frowned in confusion. "Happy?"  
"Well, you see, I knew you were acting this was because you were worried and being over protective." I admitted. "To know you cared so much, it made me happy. It had been so long since I had anyone to care for, so thank you." I bowed my head a bit.

He bowed back.

"So then-" I lifted my head. "Since you have apologize, and I have apologized, we've agreed to at least… talk about it when something like this happen again."

"Yes." He mused.

"Ah, good. Cause I was really starting to feel bad about burning your bacon." I sighed with relief.

"Is that truly the only reason you felt bad?"

"Well, no." I shrugged. "I feel bad for tripping you when I passed by you yesterday too."

He frowned at me.  
'…I admit it, it was childish." I held my hands up in defeat. "But hey, you started it when you tripped me at the table with your tail."

"That was an accident." He corrected.  
"Was not." I disagreed. "You so did that on purpose."

"It is the truth."

"You are a liar Splinter!' I nudged him playfully. He smirked a bit and rose to his feet.

"Come, let us return to our sons. I'm sure they will be pleased to know we have settled our differences." He held a hand out to me. Taking it, I grinned as he pulled my to my feet.

"And I can start making dinner. We are having chicken noodles!" I squealed in delight.

"Ah, what a perfect time to make up with a friend. I hope you shall not burn my noddle's as well." He side glanced at me with a playful smirk.

"Scouts honor.' I held up three fingers. As we began to walk forward, something suddenly tripped me, and I fell to the ground. "What the-" I lifted my head in surprise.

"You should be more careful." Splinter chuckled innocently as he moved out of the room, his tail slightly swaying side to side.

"I knew you tripped me! You liar!' I screeched, dashing after him!


End file.
